


The Leaves of Her Garden

by cafeinthemoon93



Category: Naruto
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Canon Divergence, Canon Universe, F/M, Healing, Jutsu, Mangekyou Sharingan, Orphanage, Post-War, Pre-Canon, Pre-Naruto Canon Era, Protective Uchiha Madara, Reader-Insert, Sharingan, Susano'o - Freeform, Uchiha Clan-centric, Uchiha Izuna Lives, War, Warring States Period (Naruto)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:41:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 37,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26512336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cafeinthemoon93/pseuds/cafeinthemoon93
Summary: At that river's shore, exhausted and defeated, you had no strength to use your hands and bring water to your mouth. You were alone, with no home, money or protection. After all you had to endure, you thought this time you were not going to last long. It was when you saw a man coming at you. The only thing he said about himself was his name, Izuna. He stated that his brother was looking for someone to replace his betrothed and that you looked like her.Was that your chance to survive?
Relationships: Uchiha Madara/Reader
Comments: 52
Kudos: 189





	1. Beyond the Porch's Door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You lived at hard times. The war took the people you loved from you. You went to live wit a distant relative, who educated you with all she got. When you grew into a young woman, she revealed that she had debts to be paid. To help her, you went ot work at one of her creditor's house as governess to his daughter and everything was fine, until your stepmother fell sick and died.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, that's me not finishing my previous works and starting another one (I'm not even ashamed lmao). This idea has been on my mind for some time now and I even had somen otes of it, but finally I got ome time to write it down as a proper chapter. I need to explain that this story has dark tones, but like all my other works, nothing's explicit here. Still, I'll be posting the appropriate warnings in the notes, so if you are sensitive to something here, please don't read it.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy this work and if you want to see more of my writings such as headcanons and scenarios, find me on Tumblr as @cafeinthemoon
> 
> THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS:
> 
> \- r*pe attempt  
> \- death of a beloved one

_"Let's celebrate now_  
_All this flesh on our bones_  
_Let me push you up against me tightly_  
_And enjoy every bit of you_  
_Love me_

_[...]_

_I see who you are_  
_Let me see who you are"_

_(Björk, I See Who You Are)_

Things were never easy for you.

At an early age, you saw the war at your door, taking your beloved ones away. You had to abandon the house and the territory you grew up in and move to another part of the country with some of the survivors. There were other young people in the same situation as you, and unpleasant things happened to most of them: some ended up dying by injuries of the battlefield; since you spend nights out in the cold, others ended up dying of diceases that could be easily cured if there were medicine for everyone. There were boys who went to train with experienced masters to become the next generation of shinobi; many young girls were sent to work as servants and maids on the countryside. Whatever the fate that awaited them, you never heard of them again.

You were a little more lucky than them, for you went to live with an elder woman who was a distant relative of your mother. She heard about the circumstances in the place you lived and immediately offered you her home, and then you became her adoptive daughter. Despite knowing she was not your real mother, you became used to call her like this.

Life was not perfect by this woman’s side, but it was as good as possible considering the things you have been through. You helped her with the housekeeping and she financed your studies. As you grew up, she taught you some lessons of what she considered necessary for an educated girl to know, like drawing, playing music and crafting. The first one was your favorite, ad you took only a few weeks to master it; the second was a bit harder, but you did your best in respect of your stepmother; the third one was a torture, and even she thought it was better for you to occupy your time with something else. It was when you decided to spend most of your free time drawing. As time passed, you registered the most recurrent scenarios in the place you lived: the house you lived in, the people you used to meet in the town, your stepmother, the house’s garden and many other things.

You grew up and became a good, gentle young woman. Some things changed with you: your surroundings, your routine, your dreams. Not all of those changes were good, however: your adoptive mother’s healthy was not as good as she wanted you to believe. Putting together the fact that she was getting old, things were now difficult for both of you.

She started to think she has done everything she could for you, and that the time to make some plans for your future has come. One day, she called you to her room and you had a conversation about this.

– I knew I would have to do this, sooner or later, y/n. I tried to do everything to avoid it because you are my daughter, but the truth is that I can’t keep you here anymore.

You were lost. What was she talking about? You wanted to ask, but you sensed it was better to let her explain.

– Things were hard for everyone during the warring period. Food, clothes and all the things one needs to survive were expensive, and those few people who could afford them could considered themselves rich. This was our case, y/n. To be able to take care of both of us, I’ve made some debits that are still to be paid. I’ve been trying to negotiate some of them, but my health grew weak these last years and I was forced to spend money on medication; my creditors became impatient and demanded an answer until the end of this month…

You were about to open your mouth to ask why she didn’t tell you anything, when she started to cry. It was rare to see tears in her eyes, so you knew she was desperate.

Soon, she regained her control and continued:

– Yesterday, I thought of something that could help us. I will not force you to accept such idea, of course, but I’d like you to listen to me. Hiroshi-sama, one of my creditors, have a young daughter. His wife passed away a few weeks ago, and the child spends most of her time alone with the servants, since her father is a busy man. You have a decent education, with enough qualifications to take care of a child. I was considering that you could work to this girl’s father, taking care of her as a way to pay the debt, or at least reduce its interest.

You thought of this.

– Working like a governess… Is that what you mean, mother?

– Yes. I myself had to work as one when I was your age, and all I can say is that it is not so difficult, most of the times. You are supposed to be in charge of the child’s education and nothing more. And since the man’s house is not so far from here, you can come to see me during the weekends.

Your situation didn’t give you much choices. You couldn’t think of a better plan, and your priority was to help your mother. You said you accepted the resolution.

***

Your first days in your new residence were not easy, as you expected. That was your first job and your first time spending most of your time away from your mother and home, among people with whom you have no familiarity, as well as a strict routine.

The girl you were hired to teach was a good child, and because of the loneliness caused by her father’s absence and the lack of friends of her age (and the fact that the servants were more than happy to leave the child entirely under your wing), was kind of content to have a young woman as a company. Not having to deal with a spoiled, cruel child brought some sort of relief to your already anxious heart, and you did all you could to build a good relationship with her.

During the working days you spent your daytime with her, and at evenings you had some hours to take care of yourself. When the weekends came, you went to your mother’s house to take care of her and inform her about your circumstances.

This arrangement worked well in the first weeks, and you dared think that you and your mother were now going to be safe. But it didn’t take much longer until things start to change, and not for the best reasons.

Your mother’s situation was getting worse day after day, and though you both kept silence about it, you knew she was not going to last longer. Your visits continued as regularly as ever, but they became harder and sadder.

In Hiroshi’s house, things were growing stranger.

The man, who has been spending more time at home, was becoming too severe with his daughter, ad the girl started to be afraid of his company. On the other hand, he was getting closer to you. He never stated a reason for this, but it was clear that he looked for opportunities to stay at the same places as you precisely when the girl was not around. You didn’t understand this attitude of him, but you didn’t like it at all. However, your situation was delicate: you had your mother to take care of and your own expenses to cover as well, so that you couldn’t do anything that offended him enough to fire you. You tried your best to get around this, but it was becoming more and more complicated.

Then it came the day when your mother passed away. It happened at night, during the weekend, so that you were by her side on the bed when she closed your eyes.

You asked for some days to take care of her things and to mourn her. Hiroshi granted you some time, but not as much as you thought to be enough for everything you had to do. You didn’t complain, however. When the time for you to return to the creditor’s house came, you packed your things and left your mother’s house. You locked the front door and didn’t know it yet, but that was the last time you were seeing it.

When you arrived at the creditor’s house, you were led to your old room and left your things there. The maid that opened the door for you was a friend of yours and talked to you for a while. She was educated and composed as always, but you senses some nervousness in her manners that started to bother you. It was like she knew about something and was urging to tell you, but she didn’t dare. You thought of asking her, but you convinced yourself it was just a sensation and let her go back to her tasks.

It was when you thought the house was too silent.

After taking care of yourself, you went to the girl’s room to see if she was there. She wasn’t. You went out to the porch and looked at the garden, and saw no one. When you stepped back into the room, you startled.

The girl’s father was there.

\- Ah! Hiroshi-sama – you stuttered – I didn’t see you coming… I was looking for…

\- She’s not here – he cut you off – And she’s not coming until tomorrow.

You nodded. That was strange, though. The girl never left the house so suddenly. What was going on there?

Hiroshi closed the door behind him and approached you. Your instinct was to take a step back; you felt your hands shaking.

\- I was thinking that we needed some time by ourselves, y/n-san… We have some matters to discuss and with the kid here it would be impossible.

You tried to resonate.

\- Why? I don’t think she would… I am sure anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of her…

Hiroshi’s response was to jump and grab you by the arm. He brought you close to him and put his lips on your ear.

\- And who said I was referring to a conversation?

Then you finally understood why the maid was so nervous. She wanted to alert you; however, she was in a delicate situation herself, and the fear of the consequences kept her mouth shut. You also understood why Hiroshi has been trying to separate his daughter from you, and why he was always looking for an opportunity to be alone with you.

You glanced to the porch’s door at your back and had no time to think. Your only chance was beyond it.

The man seemed to understand what you were going to do and held you tighter. When he tried to drag you away from there, you bit his hand and punched his face, pushing him away from you. He fell on the floor, and before he recovered himself, you opened the door and ran.


	2. "Do You Want to Survive?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You managed to escape Hiroshi's hands and to leave his property. But as far as you got from there, without help, food and direction, your chances to survive were painfully reduced. At that river's shore you took what you thought to be your last drops of water and prepared yourself to leave this world, but some steps on the grass caught your attention. And what you've heard from those steps' owner might have saved your life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So in this second chapter we have some real change in the course of events thanks to a certain Uchiha that's not Sasuke lmao I always refer to Izuna as the guy who's not Sasuke, but you can't say I got no reasons for that, right? XD
> 
> THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS  
> \- Nightmare, painful memories

It was the middle of spring, with a soft breeze blowing and warm sunlight touching everything on those lands, but the day seemed cold and dark to your eyes as your feet stumbled on the harsh ground of the grove.  Here and there, the trees’ prominent roots stood in your way, forcing you to reduce your pace or to turn around them, which took you more time than you suspected you had.  Still, you continued to run, and the more you got into the trees, the less you felt the presence of the sun.

You didn’t know how long you have been running. Maybe some hours. The only thing you you could think was to keep running, to keep moving away from Hiroshi’s reach. Your only regret was concerning the child: the idea of leaving the little girl with that man, though he was her father, broke your heart, but you had no choice. Things  w ould have  got really serious if you stood there.

Now you sensed the sinuosity of the ground taking the advantage and leaving you tired. Your legs started to ache and the scratches and cuts caused by the dry branches were burning under your feet;  the air that entered your lungs  was growing hotter as the trees grew closer to one another,  and you started to suffocate.

When you reached your limits, you stopped between the thick roots of an old tree and let yourself fall on the ground. You were exhausted; it was even hard to think. Your whole body was numb, and before you realized it, your eyes closed and you fell in a  restless sleep.

Within what seemed to be some minutes, you woke up with a startle. You thought you’ve heard someone screaming. Could it be Hiroshi coming after you? Or did he send people to hunt you down? You wouldn’t take the risk to find out. Ignoring the protests of your hurting legs, you stood up and started walking.

  
  


***

  
  


You only noticed that the night  was close when you started to stumble more often and  to  force your eyes to see what you had one meter ahead you. You looked at the green roof of entwined branches and leaves above your head and spotted some white shinning dots between them – the first stars to show  with the dying of the sunlight.

You stopped for a moment to breathe and to hear the sounds of the grove. A deadly silence surrounded the place, only interrupted by your own moves over the ground and the wind blowing through the trees; with the approaching of the darkness, it was growing colder.

So no one was coming after you. Or at least no one was able to track you… not yet. You supposed you could breath e for a minute before continu ing on your journey. And in fact you needed a break, because you were now more tired than never. It was when you remembered you didn’t eat anything since you left Hiroshi’s house;  the dinner must have been served by now.  Your stomach made a loud noise and hurt as you put your hand over it. At the same time, your mouth grew dry; you  haven’t drink water as well. You knew you would have to fix this  soon if you wanted to go any further.

  
  


***

  
  


You found a hidden place  between the roots of a big tree and lied between them, trying to protect yourself from the wet cold of the grove as best as possible since you weren’t using appropriate clothes for  a walk in the trees (and the ones you had were already dirty and ripped in countless spots).  As it happened before, you didn’t exactly sleep: you just lost your consciousness because of the exhaustion  and alternated these moments with brief states of alert during which you could swear you’ve heard the voices  approaching .  You had a vague memory of dreaming with Hiroshi; in this dream, you’ve heard him beating his daughter as she cried, calling your name, and  when you attempted to go after her, he invaded your room and tried to do  to you  what he tried just before you ran.

  
  


***

  
  


When you opened your eyes, you saw it was already the next morning. It was cold between the trees. When you tried to move and stand up, you felt pain in every muscle; your hunger only increased. When you felt strong enough, you walked around looking for some fruits or nuts; you spotted a bush with reddish berries, but decided not to take them because you didn’t know the species. They could be toxic.

You followed a never-ending path through the trees and was almost giving up when you reached the end of the grove. The sunlight touched your face and the breeze relieved the suffocating heat of before, and your eyes could clearly spot a river ahead. Your mouth reminded you of your need for water and you reunited the last bits of your physical strength to reach the shore.

The river was farther than you first imagined, or it was your tired and hurting feet that made you think it was. Whatever the case,  you felt like the waters were moving away as you tried to approach them. The sunlight seemed to lose its compassion over you, and your head was now burning; your stomach grew sick, though you had nothing in it that could be threw up; your legs were heavier, and each step  felt like the last for you.

When you finally reached the river,  feeling the cold soil of the shore underneath your feet, you tried to kneel and join your hands together to get some water.  Y ou bent down, but soon your vision started to fade and your hands were trembling. You forced yourself not  to  fall and managed to get the water. The refreshing fluid entered your throat as it was saving your life; you shivered and leaned your hands on the ground, coughing.

W ithout warning, your sight became blurry, and tears fell through your face, reaching the wet ground.  Your nails buried themselves in the soil as your body started shaking.

Your state was pitiful, indeed. You  were lost, with no family, friends or money to count on. You no longer  had a home to call yours: the one in which you lived with your mother  didn’t belong to you anymore, and Hiroshi’s house was now a dungeon from where you just escaped.  You had no place to go to; where in this world you would find someone who’d receive a homeless, starving and disheveled girl with no connections and nothing to give as a payment for their hospitality?

A bit far from the river’s shore, there was a thick grass growing. You’ve heard steps over it and froze. Was it possible that Hiroshi managed to  find you  so soon?

When you looked at the steps’ direction, however, you felt both relieved and surprised.  Relieved because the person you saw was not Hiroshi nor a henchman… and surprised because it was so obvious that the man you were seeing now was not a henchman that it scared you a bit.  H e walked toward you with no hesitation, and his manners made it clear that he was a member of a clan. An important one. When he stopped in front of you, you raised your eyes to him.

The man was young; maybe a few years older than you, that’s true, but still young. He was dressed in dark clothes and sandals, and carried a sword with him. Dark were his hair and his eyes too, and his skin was tanned; you weren’t so pale, but you certainly looked like a ghost compared to him.

When he spoke, his tone was demanding, as if he owned those lands.

\- You, girl. W ho are you? What are you doing here?

You sensed that if you didn’t answer quickly, you would get into trouble, so you did your best to speak loud enough for him to hear.

\- I am… lost… I am… – you tried to say your name twice; you only did it the second time after a pause.

If the man understood what you said or not, he didn’t show. He didn’t look genuinely interested, to speak the truth, and his reply confirmed this.

\- Y/n... You are lost, you say? Well, it doesn't matter. You  probably noticed some noises in the grove, didn’t you? It was me. I’ve been following you for a while.

You narrowed your eyes, but said anything.

\-  Listen, girl. My name is Izuna. I was sent on a mission by my elder brother, to find a certain person.  _You_ are the person I am looking for.

You were the person he was looking for? What was he talking about? Was he indeed working for Hiroshi and these appearances and story of his were just a means to deceive you? He didn’t give you much time to think about it, however.

\- As I can see, your situation is the worst possible – he stated, not sugarcoating his words – You won't survive if you stay here. Do you want to survive?

You nodded in agreement. Tears came up to your eyes, but you contained them.

\-  Well, then. Let me explain the situation. My elder brother is the leader of our clan. He was about to marry a woman from another clan, but a casualty happened and the girl is lost. Now he needs someone who resembles her to take her place, and you are this girl. All you have to do is pretend you are  the true betrothed and keep your mouth shut. Are you coming with me?

D espite being exhausted and in pain, you stopped to consider the offer.

\-  Marry... your brother...?

The man, Izuna, became impatient.

\-  Yes. Now, answer the question!

Leaving that place and getting out of Hiroshi’s reach forever. Going to an unknown house to live as a person you didn’t know,  yet staying alive. Such situation would sound absurd if your circumstances were other. But staying there was solely a way to rush your death, and you didn’t want to die.

You looked above, to  the man’s black eyes, and  gave  him your consent before your strength abandoned you and your vision became completely dark.


	3. A New Woman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuna carried you to the house you were meant to live from now on. You heard him talking and learned some things about your new situation. When you woke up, you found yourself in the company of two women who took care of you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of this chapter, the one when reader is cared by the women to be exact, was inspired by that part of Jane Eyre when Jane was about to starve but then she's brought to her cousins' house and they took care of her, giving her some milk, washing her clothes and put her on a bed. Tbh some of the next scenes on this story will be inspired by Jane Eyre as well, bc I love this book and some of its peculiarities told by the protagonist
> 
> THIS CHAPTER DOES NOT CONTAIN WARNINGS

You woke up, but didn’t open your eyes. You were still weak, but you were not as numb as before. After a moment trying to understand your own position, you sensed an uncomfortable bouncing and realized you were being carried over someone’s shoulder.

You were hearing Izuna’s voice, but it took you some time to understand his words. Once you did, you noticed he was talking to you.

\- …e you don’t mind being carried this way, girl. In other circumstances I would carry you in my arms, but this time I have work to finish and you are about to die. We do not have much time.

The territory seemed to have changed, and the ground was as sinuous as the grove’s. He adjusted the grip around you and seemed to speed up his pace.

\- You are too heavy for someone who’s starving, you know? I will get tired soon.

A muffled laugh, then he spoke again:

\- I don’t know what you have been through, but I suppose you were having a hard time, girl. If I had to judge you only by your current state, I would have to say that you look awful. All of this dry leaves and soil in your hair, these rags that once were clothes and these bruises on your skin… And yes, this sweat scent. You are in desperate need of a bath. My brother would get sick if you got close to him in such conditions. But do not get me wrong. Just wait until you arrive in your new house, take a good bath, clean this hair and gain something decent to wear – Izuna laughed – You will be a new woman! Everyone will see your true self. And you will get a proper meal to regain your strength, I must not forget.

He sighed.

\- Years ago, when we were at war, we were about to fight our own allies for food, but now things are better, and we have enough provisions for everyone. We should be thankful for that. You were probably just a child at that time, even younger than me. I bet things were hard for you too, so be thankful as well. My brother hopes you to be. I mean, he doesn't know you yet, but he will, and when he put his eyes on you, this is what he will want to hear. Remember to say thank you when you have the opportunity.

Izuna fell silent for a while. Now his movements were agile, as if he was covering a great distance between trees or bushes. Was he crossing the grove or a forest? You didn’t have strength to open your eyes and confirm, so you kept quiet, pretending you were sleeping.

With a groan, he continued his monologue, still believing you were unconscious.

\- This girl that you are about to replace, she’s very pretty and fine. And if you resemble her in a way that I could see it despite your pitiful conditions, you could think of this as a compliment.

He tightened the grip around your waist to prevent you from falling and started jumping between what you supposed to be high branches. He didn’t speak while doing this, which was understandable: speaking to someone who might not be listening while traveling through a difficult land was a waste of energy, and if he was already complaining about your weight before, now he would become unbearably irritating. You’ve been hearing his talking long enough to know a little about him, so based on what you’ve learned from his tone, this young man was a sort of a brat. He was the younger brother of their clan’s leader, thus an important person among their people; the praising way in which he spoke about his brother despite the unpleasantness towards the mission assigned by him revealed a mixture of admiration and resentment commonly found in younger siblings. Such trait should not follow people through their adult lives, but when it comes to clan members, things might happen differently. Yes, he spoke about having a difficult life as a child, but you were not going to suppose that he never had a bit of privilege over the others thanks to his bloodline.

When the land became flat again, Izuna restarted the solitary conversation.

\- Hey… y/n, right? So… I was thinking of how much you resemble the other. It is really impressive. When I was assigned for this mission, I was expecting to find at least a girl with the same hair color or some minor similarities, nothing more than that. But when I’ve put my eyes on you, it was like seeing the other girl again. You have to agree that it is too fantastic. Now I wonder what brought you here, right on my way. It must not be by chance. It must be fate. If I haven't found you there, my work would take twice the time. And my brother will become impatient and things would get serious there.

Now his tone was low, and by this you understood that he was going to talk about more serious matters. You kept your attentions on what was coming next.

\- Speaking of my brother, listen... I mean, if you're not listening to me yet. I don't know what kind of girl you were until the moment I found you, if you were a noble, a witch, a beggar, how much education you've received or anything else, and I couldn't care less. But let me give you some advice before you meet my brother: he is a serious, strict man. He's very demanding when it comes to respect and obedience. Of course he's right to be, since he's our leader. But this makes him a little... bitter, if you understand what I'm saying. He's not as compassionate as me. In fact, he sometimes says I'm too soft for a warrior. My elder brother… he hates bigmouth, talkative and spoiled brats. So be careful on what you say to him and do not act like one, right? I will not take any responsibility for what might happen if he loses his temper. Sometimes he manages to scare even me.

A sudden laugh cut off the dark tone of his previous words.

\- By the way, I am not saying this to discourage you, but to warn you. But if you are already scared, well, that might work for you. Only a fool would not fear when in his presence.

  
  


***

  
  


You didn’t know when or how you fell asleep again, nor if it happened while Izuna was still carrying you or later when you finally arrived at the place where you would meant to live from now on. The only thing you were sure is that you woke up lying on a flat, soft mattress and had a hand holding you on the back of your neck, keeping your head high while something cold with the taste of milk and tea was poured down your mouth. You were not so used to drink this type of thing, but once you felt its taste and managed to swallow the drops that didn’t fall through the corners of your mouth, you sensed your strength returning to your limbs: since you left Hiroshi’s house, that was the first thing you had on your mouth besides water.

Soon, you started to hear voices near you and knew there were more than one person in the place with you. You identified two female voices.

\- She shall not return to consciousness until tomorrow – a voice that seemed to belong to an elder woman was saying, probably to the person close to her – Even if she woke up now, she would be so weak that even opening her eyes would be an impossible task.

More was put in your mouth, and now you were becoming used to the taste. A second voice, sounding as the one of a young woman, replied to the first.

\- Poor girl. If it wasn’t for Izuna-sama… I don’t like to imagine what could have happened.

\- And it is better not to try and imagine anything, indeed – the first voice spoke in some sort of low, admonitory tone – If this girl had never been found, things would certainly become serious here.

That was the same thing you’ve heard Izuna saying before. What was so serious about your absence there that made so many people worried? Was it because of their leader’s short temper or anything else? Well, you would have time to think about it once you were recovered. Even better, you would find out what was really going on, for you were now necessary there. It was better not to increase your already deep weakness with something that would come to you at its own time.

You heard the elder woman telling the younger one to take the cup of milk away and to come back to help her with the cleaning. You only understood what she meant with _cleaning_ when the young woman came back and her partner told her to prepare a bath.

\- I am going to take off these rags from her and find something clean to dress her with. The girl will need something comfortable to wear while she sleeps.

The other woman mumbled something in agreement and you heard the sound of her fast steps fading while she left. The elder woman didn’t waste time and started working: you felt while your dirty clothes were taken off your body by her agile hands. She did it without speaking, but you could swear you’ve heard her mumbling some old song to herself. Her voice was a bit harsh, something carved by the hard work and the habit, but hearing it was comforting to you: it resembled your mother’s voice.

Minutes later, you were carried in her arms to a warm, wet place that you supposed to be a bathroom. The woman bent down with you and you felt hot water washing away all the impurity of the last hours: the grove’s soil, the sweat, the blood of your bruises and the malice of Hiroshi’s touch. While the elder woman used soap to clean your body, you felt the young one pouring some lotion on your hair and massaging your scalp. In the end, Izuna was right: as soon as you were taken off of those rags and given a good bath, you would be a new woman.

They took you back to the place you previously were wrapped in towels. They dried your skin and hair and dressed you in soft clothes. Your skin was still warmed up by the water and some of the cuts on your feet were burning a little, but your situation now was undoubtedly better. The injuries were cleaned with a lotion of herbs which deep scent filled the place and then covered with bandages.

You heard the noises the women made while they organized the things used to take care of you. They whispered some words to each other; the elder woman touched your forehead, told her partner that you had no fever and the other replied with relief. They covered you with sheets and walked away, leaving the room in complete silence.


	4. Crimson Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You woke up in the middle of the night and found yourself alone in the room. Or at least you thought you were alone. At a dark corner you spotted something glowing with a red light, and almost screamed when you realized it was a pair of eyes. Could it be an illusion? Or were they something real?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of the mystery involving Izuna's clan is revealed to reader here! Yay! Yes, I know it seems like I'm taking too long to tell the important things in this story, but I'm really enjoying to include some mysterious vibes in it, partly bc this happens in Jane Eyre, and partly bc the Uchihas have their own mysteries indeed.
> 
> THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS  
> \- Implied stalking

As it happened before, you only realized you’ve been sleeping when you woke up with a startle, going from the complete unconsciousness to a painful state of alert. This time you managed to open your eyes, but you couldn’t see a thing: the room was drowned in shadows. The silence left by the women when they closed the door behind them was still there. The only thing detected by your ears was your own breathing.

You tried to move on the mattress and found out you’ve regained enough of your strength to do it. Your body was aching and tired, but it was good to feel your control over it returning to you. After a moment looking around, you sensed your sight adjusting to the darkness and noticing a diaphanous glow not so far from the place you were lying: the moonlight entering by a door left half open for the fresh air to enter.

You sensed your eyes burning because of the sleep. You pulled the sheets over you and turned to the darker side of the room, against the moonlight. And what your eyes saw in the shadows could have made you scream if you had the strength to do it.

Something caught your attention in a corner of the room, and when you looked directly at it, you spotted a reddish, strange light standing out there. Nothing moved around it as if it was part of the darkness; still, it seemed to have a life of its own. You narrowed your eyes, trying to understand if this thing you were seeing was something real or just an illusion created by your exhausted brain, and realized the red light was formed by two distinct small spots.

Eyes. Crimson eyes.

You held your breath and tried to move away on the sheets, but you couldn’t go too far, so you grabbed them and covered yourself entirely, closing your eyes tight. You didn’t want to believe what you saw; you just wanted it to go away.

Several minutes passed and you were unable to go back to sleep. You didn’t move a muscle and stood under the sheets until it started to grow hot and suffocating for you. When you finally had the courage to take them off and looked around the room, you let a breath of relief escape: surrounding you there was only the darkness; the place where you saw those eyes was empty and covered in black as the rest.

  
  


***

  
  


Your eyes sensed the light of the day before you opened them. A warmness entered the place and touched your exposed skin. You were still tired, but the night spent in a proper bed with clean, soft sheets did its job and now you believed you could move again without being carried.

You opened your eyes and blinked several times until they got used to the light invading the room. Then, you looked around to acknowledge what you have with you there.

The room was larger than you imagined. The futon where you slept was placed in the middle of it, but there was a wall right behind it, above your head. There were simple furniture at the corners, made of wood, and a small table at your right. Upon it there was a tray with a bowl; vapor was raising up from it.

Beyond the table and everything else there was a porch. The door that led to it, through which the moonlight entered at night, was now wide open, and the breeze and the light from the outside filled the space around you with the signs of spring. From your spot you saw a glimpse of what existed out there.

You were alone in the room, but the bowl and the open door were proof that you’ve been visited before you woke up. Probably by one of those women. You moved the sheets away and after some effort, you sat on the mattress. You looked at yourself and saw you were wearing a white gown. Your hair was untied, and despite the tangles expected after hours of sleep, it was clear that it was washed and brushed just the night before. You passed your fingers through it to settle the messed strands.

You were going to kneel to reach the stray and see what was in that bowl when you heard the room’s door opening. You looked at it and saw an elder woman that you immediately thought of that one who prepared your bath yesterday.

She spoke to you and her voice confirmed that she was that woman.

\- Ah! Good morning, girl – she smiled – You must be very strong to be able to sit on the bed without help despite your conditions. How are you feeling today?

Her tone was more gentle than the other day, when she was talking to that young woman. Maybe seeing you recovering faster than she expected diminished her worries. That made sense when you remembered that there was the possibility of something serious happen regarding your presence there: who knew what could happen if you didn’t recover?

You forced yourself to reply to the woman’s greeting.

\- Good morning… I’m feeling well, thank you.

She approached the futon and knelt beside you. You noticed that just like Izuna, she had dark eyes and hair; this latter was tied up with two pins on the top of her head, with some shades of silver showing among the black. Her clothes were dark as well. However, nothing in her manners or appearance suggested the irascibility you sensed in the young man, which brought some relief to you.

The woman put her hand on your forehead as she did previously; again, you had no fever, and she didn’t hide her contentment for it. She then introduced herself. Her name was Aiko and she was a servant in the house of the clan’s leader. She and Ayane, the girl who was with her before, were assigned to take care of you, making sure you were ready to meet the leader as soon as possible. They did not have much time, so it was a blessing that you were feeling good now.

You stood in silence for a moment, thinking about what you’ve just heard. Izuna suggested that they had little time to prepare everything too. This story was becoming more and more stranger.

\- I see – you finally replied – You and your partner did an excellent job, Aiko, for I am feeling really good now.

The woman smiled and took the bowl from the tray, as well as the pair of hashi beside it, invisible from your spot. The bowl was full of ramen; you didn’t realize you were so hungry until you looked at the food and smelled it. You thanked Aiko for helping you, took the bowl from her hands and started to eat.

You’ve eaten half the content of the bowl when you saw a shadow on the porch’s door. You looked at it and saw Izuna standing there, staring at you.

\- So, you finally woke up.

You didn’t reply. You dropped the hashi on the bowl; Aiko looked behind and as soon as she recognized the man, she stood up and moved away from the bed.

Izuna walked into the room, knelt beside you and held your chin, as if he wanted to examine your face. It was when you saw that his eyes were not really black; instead, they were of a deep shade of brown.

\- Yes, you are still a bit pale, but it’s nothing that a good painting could not fix – he turned your face from one side to another, his piercing eyes spotting the smallest details – Indeed, you are her living image. You will serve, I am sure…

He was speaking more to himself than to you. Something in his tone made you think he was not just relieved that your resemblance with the other girl was great ; it made it seem that such resemblance was too good to be just a coincidence.

Whatever the case, Izuna didn’t say anything. He must have realized how strange it was to have him staring at you that way for so long, so he released you and laughed in an attempt to maintain his confidence in the success of his mission.

He stood up.

\- Well, then. You can turn your attentions to your bowl again. Depending on your state by the night, I will come to take you to my brother.

Your face started to burn. You were going to meet their leader s o soon? You glanced at Aiko, seeking for some comfort. The woman, standing as a shadow in the edge of the futon, had some preoccupation in her eyes, but she didn’t dare verbalize it.

Izuna was about to turn his back and leave when you remembered the unsettling episode of the other night.

\- Izuna-sama…

\- Yes? – he raised an eyebrow.

\- I… I saw something yesterday.

Only then you saw how unusual your story would sound to other people, at daylight.

\- Well, what is it? – he encouraged you.

You swallowed.

\- I saw something last night… Someone…

Izuna became serious.

\- What are you talking about? Speak properly, girl.

\- Someone was here last night – once you said that, it became easier to tell him the rest – I saw a pair of eyes in the dark – you pointed at the direction you saw them – Right there.

You thought it was better not to mention the fact that the eyes were red.

Still, the man didn’t laugh or dismiss what you told him. When he spoke again, a change was sensed in his tone.

\- It was dark and you were exhausted. You must have had a dream, nothing more.

You were sure it wasn’t a dream, and said it to him.

\- It was too real to be just a dream. I feel it.

But Izuna didn’t like to be challenged.

\- Someone in your circumstances can feel many things, and not all of them mean something real. No one could ever enter this room without consent. These eyes you think you saw weren’t but an illusion, and you should not waste your energies with illusions, you understand?

\- But I…

He cut you off.

\- Just finish your meal.

You decided it was better not to argue with him. You took the hashi again and used them to stir the remaining ramen. When Izuna saw you weren’t going to reply, he nodded and turned his back on you.

He was on the porch’s door when you raised your eyes to him. You haven’t seen him on his back until that moment, which explained your surprise with a certain detail on his clothing that answered many questions you haven’t even formulated yet: on his back, just behind his tied, long hair you saw a symbol over the dark fabric. It was the emblem of his clan, and an image you knew, but have forgotten for years.

The red and white fan of the Uchiha.


	5. Interlude – A Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ayane, one of the women who took care of you the last night, was now making you company. After lunchtime, you came back to your room to restore your strength. It was when you probably fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I quickly wrote this Interlude because I sensed there would be a gap between the last chapter and the next one, which is ready by now. I was going to post it when I revised the last events and sensed that something was missing and there were some points that needed an explanation, or at least a deeper exploration, so an Interlude was the best solution.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it ;)
> 
> THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS  
> Mentions of fights with swords, blood and injury

After lunchtime, you were taken outside the room for a walk. Ayane was sent to make you company. Being the only girl you saw since your arrival, her presence was comforting: she resembled Aiko in appearance, which made you suppose they were relatives; when you asked her about it, she explained Aiko was her grandmother.

She took you to a garden not so far from the room you were. She was aware that you weren’t strong enough for long walks, although being able to leave the bed right in the next day after almost starving was a victory of yours. Holding her arm, you observed the birds resting, singing at the branches of the blossoming cherry trees while some of their delicate petals floated around with the breeze. At some moment you had to sit on a wood bank under one of the trees, and with a smile you sensed the warm air entering your lungs, purifying your body from the exhaustion and the weakness. Breathing fresh air reminded you that you were still alive.

Ayane told you about the house, some of the people who lived there, herself and Aiko; listening to her explanations made you feel like you already knew those people and had been living there for more than just one day. She was gentle and cheerful; you sensed that she was holding her tongue to not wear you out with her talking, but you weren’t bothered by it. It was good to have someone like her to talk to: Izuna had nor the time nor the patience to stay with you and engage in a decent conversation, and Aiko was more concerned with your physical well being than with your social needs.

The girl’s company helped you to forget the shadows of the last night for a moment, as well as a certain pair of eyes hiding in them.

  
  


***

  
  


_Later, probably a dream_

  
  


The room you were hiding no longer had lamps on the walls. You were sitting in a dark corner, out of the light beam’s reach, under the spot where a lamp once hanged, hugging your knees. Your widened eyes were fixed on the gap of the porch’s door, not blinking, just waiting.

Sooner or later, they would enter. And they would find you.

The angry voices yelling at each other out there entered your ears as a crying from hell, and so did the sound of swords destroying skin and flesh, the shapes of warriors rising and falling against the walls of fire outside. It was growing hot inside the room, and the wooden floor under you started to irritate your skin despite your clothes.

A sudden thud disintegrated part of the porch’s door and exploded in your ears. You hid your face in your hands, biting your palms to hold a scream. When you looked again, you saw a body stretched on the floor, in front of you; a black puddle grew around it, coming from the place under his chest. There was a symbol on the back of his clothes, but you didn’t recognize it.

When you thought of looking closer, you noticed a second presence at the door. A shadow with a sword. You didn’t move a muscle. The shadow didn’t seem to acknowledge your presence; you held your breath, hoping to remain invisible, to see the shadow going away to seek for another victim out there, not in you.

The time the shadow stood there staring at the body felt like an eternity, but it must have been just a moment in our world’s count. When it was clear that the fallen man was not going to stand up, the shadow turned to the outside and prepared to leave, but not without turning to the dark corners of the room for a second.

Your throat burned with the scream you were still holding back, and a tear rolled through your face. The eyes that were staring back at you were as red as the fire outside. When they finally disappeared as the shadow turned its back at the room, a new explosion of flames burned not so far from there, revealing that there was a symbol at its back too.

The rounded form of a white and red fan.


	6. Madara Uchiha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At evening, Izuna came to take you to his brother's presence. He wanted to see you, for he had some matters to discuss with you. At his chambers' entry, the young man reminded you of his previous advice, but it wasn't but his last words what surprised you: "Good luck."
> 
> What kind of man was waiting for you there? Were you going to succeed in dealing with him all by yourself?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY HE'S HERE!!!
> 
> I took so long to finish this chapter because I wanted to make sure that Madara's apparition would be worthy of the tension built during the previous chapters. Besides, if you noticed that no one have said his name to reader until now, when he introduced himself as Madara, you must be wondering why. Here's the reason: I thought that leaving Madara introduce himself by name would deepen the impact of the discovery by reader, who've already heard about it and thus knows its fame. The consciousness of being in front of that man would make reader feel the weight of her choice as never before.

While you were walking down that long corridor having Izuna Uchiha just ahead leading the way to his brother – the man you were about to marry, and the head of the clan – you thought about that entire day and couldn’t decide if all those hours really passed or if it was just a few minutes.

The only thing you were sure was that everything happened fast. You left the bed and Aiko and Ayane came to assist you; you were bathed and dressed with new clothes, had your hair brushed and tied up in an elegant style and received your meals at the right time.

And when you least expected, the evening has come, you were back to that room and Izuna came to lead you to the chambers where his brother was waiting.

\- He wants to see you, y/n. There are some things he needs to tell you before the ceremony – he explained – And this must be done now.

Your heart jumped so fast inside your chest that it caused you pain. You weren’t sure if you hid the startle, but you stood up and said you were ready, ignoring the inner voice saying that you were not.

Now, your feet were carrying you to those chambers, to the man with who you have made a deal for your life, though the life you were going to live by his side was not yours and though what you still had from your previous life was going to be locked inside you until you weren’t able to acknowledge its existence. All this change was going to start once you were in the end of that corridor. In a moment, you wanted to reach it right now; in the next, you wished you would never did. Izuna’s silence was heavier than the one of the house; it increased your anxiety and turned it into fear; not only he didn’t say a word as he walked, nor even looked toward you.

You were clenching your fists, your nails buried so deep in your palms they would certainly end up bleeding if you have gone any further. But fortunately for your skin, the corridor finally ended.

Izuna stopped suddenly and you would have bumped into him if you weren’t looking forward. When he turned to you, you saw a seriousness on his face that was never there before. So that was the reach of his brother’s influence on him? And you were going to face such man all by yourself.

\- Now, listen to me, girl – he started with a low voice – You behaved well since you arrived here, I must recognize. So the only advice I have for you is: stay like this, and everything will be fine for you. Remember what I said before about our leader. Watch your steps, your tone and your manners in his presence. Do as he says and don’t ever think of questioning him or talking back. You owe him your life, so respect and compliance are the least he demands from you.

You had no verbal response for that, so you just nodded. Izuna passed by you and was about to walk through the way he just came, but he stopped and glanced over his shoulder.

\- Y/n.

\- Izuna-sama?

\- Good luck.

With those words he walked away. You turned to the sliding door, closed just before you, and waited a moment, breathing deep. Its translucent material filtered a yellowish light coming from its other side; that was the only sign that the room was not empty, since the silence on it seemed as deep as the one on the corridor.

You raised a trembling hand and opened the door.

After closing it behind your back, you looked around. That room was just like the one you’ve spent the last night: clean, organized and provided with basic furniture; no extravagances were seen on it. The main difference was that this one had more light lamps hanging from the walls.

On the other end of the room, close to the porch’s door, there was a chair with a high back turned to the inner door. The stillness inside the chambers was such that you could say the chair was empty, but then the person sitting on it stretched his right hand, with the palm turned up as a sign for you to approach.

A voice was heard, filling all the space around in its low tone.

\- How long you intend to stand at the door? Come here. Let me see you.

There was no harshness nor anger in his words. Still, you felt them entering your ears and reaching your mind as a demand, as an order you just couldn’t disobey; you tried to linger at the door, but your legs started aching and you had to leave your spot. It was when you saw that Izuna was not exaggerating in his advice. You haven’t seen him yet, but that was enough for you to understand that this man was different not only from Izuna, but from any other person you’ve ever met. Was he even human? You took careful steps toward his chair, at the same time willing and afraid to find out.

You stopped beside the chair and saw his hand making an invitation sign. You soon understood it, and put your left fingers on his palm. Once you did it, his fingers clenched around yours in a way you couldn’t pull them back. They didn’t squeeze nor hurt you, but an abnormal strength was implied on that grip. Led by his hand, you turned around the chair and stopped in front of it.

And then you finally met him: Izuna’s older brother, the leader of the Uchiha and the man with whom you had a bond, maybe forever.

There was some resemblance between him and Izuna, something that would allow anyone to point them out as blood relatives even among their pairs; however, the differences between them were more clear to the eye than their similarities, and through them you couldn’t help thinking that despite the harsh, proud manners of the younger Uchiha brother, dealing with him was probably easier than with this one.

The Uchiha leader had his back leaning on the soft fabric of the chair, while his legs were crossed in a relaxed position. His other hand was resting upon the armchair, and he was on bare feet. It was like he has been in this position for a long time, however there was no laziness in his manners, and you supposed that if you tried to run away he could stand up in a second and grab you so fast that your eyes would never see his moves.

You’ve never met a clan leader before, but he certainly looked like one. Yes, the man was exactly how he was painted to you: respectable and scary, someone who would always stand out from the crowd, whether for himself or for the density of the aura that surrounded him as a second skin. What was that? What people named as one’s chakra, so prominent in the shinobi? If so, it was as powerful as you could expect from what you’ve heard.

What you weren’t expecting was to find in him a man of mesmerizing beauty.

His skin was as tanned as his brother’s, or maybe more: you weren’t sure if the tenuous lights coming down from the paper lamps had their role on this; on the back of his hands and on the exposed skin of his arms, showing when his sleeves slipped down at his movements, you noticed some marks of a deeper, darker shade, which you immediately understood to be battle scars.

The thick strands of his hair were untied, spreading around his shoulders and under them. They were dark and textured, even longer than Izuna’s, and part of you wondered if he used to take care of them by himself or if he had some servant to do this job for him.

However, none of this caught you the way his eyes did when you looked into them.

Two dark, rounded dots where all the light of the room seemed to touch but not reflect, as if it was absorbed and drowned in unperturbed black waters. You wouldn’t describe them as dead, though: behind the stillness there was the sensation of life, of constant vigilance from which the slightest movement could not go unnoticed.

It was like he knew everything about what he had before him, and you were there just naked, unable to lie. You felt like you could kneel before him and tell everything about yourself, your reasons, your feelings, your thoughts, dreams and fears. On the other hand, like windows closed to the outer world, it was impossible to figure out a single secret through them: you could scratch the surface, but you would only know what he wanted you to know.

The man spent a long time in silence looking at you, examining your traits, your manners, his eyes barely moving while he did it. Then again, he was the first to talk.

\- So... you are the girl Izuna brought to me – and, after a moment studying your face – It is just like he told me. You are her living image. I feel like I am looking at her.

His grip on your hand increased as he passed his fingers to your wrist. On the corner of his mouth you noticed the shadow of a smile.

\- As you were probably informed, I am the leader of the Uchiha clan. My name is Madara.

Of course. That man was Madara Uchiha, the shinobi whose name was well known – and feared – by crowds. That name was not strange to your ears, but you couldn’t explain why you didn’t connected the dots until the moment you heard it from his mouth; your difficult circumstances were the only reason you could think of.

\- Y/n… – Madara whispered, more to himself than to you; then, raising his eyes to you – I am afraid that, besides the fact that you resemble the other woman, your name was the only thing my brother told me about you. Forgive him. Sometimes, he talks too much and ends up saying little.

You didn’t know if you should smile at that comment, so you remained serious. He was still holding your wrist; he pulled it a little, telling you to approach. Under the fabric of your clothes, your skin shivered when you felt a slight touch between your leg and his.

\- So, tell me about yourself – he started – How old are you?

You told him your age. He seemed to think about it.

\- She was your age – was the immediate reply – You two are quite young. I honestly would choose someone older, but things are what they are.

He raised his free hand and asked for your right one. You obeyed, and he took a moment examining your hands. The roughness of his palms warmed up your skin, and it was with surprise that you sensed the trembling in it diminishing, until it stopped.

A true smile started to appear on his lips.

\- Look at these tiny, delicate hands. They are not used to hard work as the ones of a servant. It is also clear that you are not a ninja. If I had to guess your previous occupation, I would say you were a lady-in-waiting or a priestess. However, you look like a simple girl to me. Not from a clan or a noble family, in order to occupy such positions – he looked into your eyes – Tell me, what are you? Where are you from?

Those questions were made almost at the same time, on a keen manner, and through them you just confirmed what his eyes made obvious: Madara Uchiha was a perspicacious man, so that lying to him was out of question. You then decided to maintain your answer as succinct as possible. After telling him about the land where you were raised, in a few words you explained your current situation.

\- I was raised by my adoptive mother, Madara-sama. She passed away. Her health was declining, and to help her with the expenses I applied to work as a governess at a lord's house, man known to her.

\- I see – he raised an eyebrow – It makes sense.

Before you could understand what was happening, you felt his hand touching your jawline, moving your face from one side to the other as he observed your traits.

His next words brought heat to your face.

\- Just like the other girl, you are very pretty. This lord to whom you’ve worked should have appreciated having you under his roof. Is there any possibility that he started looking for you after you left his house?

If you took too long to answer the question, things would get worse. So you spoke without thinking too much.

\- He will not look for me, Madara-sama.

Madara nodded.

\- So... if you worked as a governess, I am right to suppose that you are used to teaching and studying. But tell me, are you able to do housekeeping?

\- Yes. I did it for my mother during her last months.

He was not satisfied yet.

\- And can you do anything else than this? Can you draw? Play? Sing?

\- I used to draw during my days off in my mother’s house. I can also play _koto_ *.

\- Good. As expected. However, to maintain your position here, your education will need of constant improvement. This woman you are to replace was a member of a clan that highly estimates erudition. Even more than the shinobi ways, I must say.

There was some sort of bitterness in these latter words, as if this particularity of the said clan displeased him until his last nerves.

\- This is the reason why they decided to create this alliance with us, Uchiha. Their wisdom had his worth, but it could not protect their houses alone. The key to such alliance was the marriage between me and their leader’s daughter. After weeks of negotiation, all the minor issues were solved and the girl was ready to do her part as well, until that night.

He fell silent at this, and for an instant the life in his eyes seemed to fade away. But this impression didn’t last long, and soon you found yourself answering more questions.

\- Did you have relatives beside your adoptive mother? Did you know your parents?

\- Yes, Madara-sama.

\- Where are they now?

\- Dead.

\- Do you have friends?

You hesitated. Most of your friends were now lost, and the others were dead. Some of them, killed by shinobi hands.

\- Some.

You looked down when you sensed a change in his hands’ grip around yours and found his thumbs moving upon your skin, drawing invisible circles. These caresses indicated another change in the direction of your conversation, a change you should have expected in view of your role in his house.

\- Tell me, y/n. Have you ever been in love before?

From your perspective, you have. You nodded positively.

\- Ever been in a relationship? – Madara continued.

Was that properly a relationship, or were you just friends? To you, it was more, so again you nodded.

His eyes seemed to light up, and the smile returned to his lips.

\- So you've already gave your first kiss?

You suddenly remembered when Hiroshi took you in his arms and tried to touch your lips with his. The memory made you froze, and your first lie was told.

\- I... yes.

You felt a slight squeeze on your wrists. Did he sense the untruth? You didn’t know, but the next question sounded as a punishment for your cunning attempt, leaving you speechless.

\- Have you ever been touched?

\- I… I...

The smile widened on his face.

\- Can you say something else besides “I”?

You didn’t reply. Your face were now burning. His eyes were fixed on you.

\- Y/n. Come closer. Give me a kiss.

He released your hands, but didn’t move away from the chair’s back. It was clear that he wanted you to approach him. You were nervous; you did know how to do it, you’ve already seen how it was done, but trying this yourself was another story. Still, you could not run away or say no; even if you did now, you couldn’t count on a refuse in the future. You were there to be his woman; you had to do your part.

You approached the chair and leaned toward him. You looked down, seeking for support; your only option was to rest your hand on his knee. You did it, trying to ignore the heat brought up to your cheeks by of your inexperience: the only time you’ve been so close to a man before you weren’t told what to do, and it was not a result of your choice.

When you found yourself under the reach of his lips, with your free hand you caressed his jawline; the warmth of his skin, now passing to yours through this touch, surrounded every bit of you, to the point it was unbearable. You thought that if you didn’t finish it now, you would be consumed. So you bent down and closed your eyes, giving him a brief, soft kiss.

Madara didn’t move or touch you during the kiss, and after it he remained in his place. When you moved away and opened your eyes, it was hard to tell what he was thinking. He was just there, observing you; if judging your inability or admiring your braveness, you couldn’t tell. Soon, the weight of his look was too much for you, and you had to look down.

The first words said after the kiss were his.

\- So... this is how you used to kiss whoever the person you dated in the past?

This question caught you off guard.

\- I…

His manners remained unaltered.

\- It feels like a child's kiss. I do not appreciate that.

You bit your lip, your heart pounding with the awareness of disappointing the man who saved you. Your only reaction was to apologize.

\- I am sorry, Madara-sama, I…

He didn’t let you finish. He uncrossed his legs and offered his hand to you as if nothing happened.

\- Come here.

You gave him your hand, and before you had the time to understand what he was about to do, he passed his arm around your waist and brought you to his lap. The sudden, quick change in your position caused by what you knew to be just a fragment of his strength took the breath out of you, and you were left with the only choice of obeying, letting him surround you and decide what the next moments would be like.

While his left arm rested around you, Madara touched you chin with his right fingers, making you turn to him. Once you raised your eyes to his, you startled with his proximity, but didn’t dare move away. In those eyes you saw many things, all the things he wanted you to see, a part of his heart you were able to understand without drowning; standing there, at the shores of his sight was the scariest thing that ever happened to you.

And still, you couldn’t think of wanting anything else.

His thumb stroke your cheek for a moment, then passed over your lips, separating them from each other to cover both with his mouth. Soon his tongue touched yours, leading the way, teaching you a lesson you were surprised to learn so fast. His hand moved away from your chin, the fingers slipping through your neck, your collarbone, tickling your ribs and ending up around your thigh; you laid your hands on his shoulders, squeezing the fabric of his clothes in response to his touch. You felt his hands pressing your waist and your thigh at once and waited, willing for what he had for you, although you weren’t sure of what to expect…

But Madara didn’t give you more than that kiss. His lips separated from yours, and his hands loosened their grip on you.

\- You see? This is how we do it – you’ve heard him whisper, his mouth still close to yours; he caressed your cheek as he talked – You have so much to learn… But do not worry. You will have your time. And I will be the one to guide you.

*Koto _is a Japanese traditional string instrument_


	7. "The Song You Chose to Play"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You woke up the next morning to find a surprise in your room right after: it seems that Madara was really paying attention to what you said about yourself, and the proof were the gifts he sent to you. However, you barely had a moment to enjoy them, for an unexpected stuation took place outside involving Aiko and Ayane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to post this before but I didn't have time, I'm so sorry XD
> 
> This one is not the most calm part of this story youre gonna read, but it has some sort of quietness that I intended to include in it, something that reminds the moment of silence between the notes of a song. I've been into Japanese traditional music lately and fell in love with the sound of koto, so I decided to write this moment that's not essential to the plot but gives all the vibes of it for you to feel them.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!!

You barely closed your eyes that night.

The fatigue on your limbs were still there and the cuts under your feet were a persistent discomfort, but you would have slept despite them if it wasn’t for all the things revolving around on your head since you left Madara’s presence.

The man you were to marry was Madara Uchiha, a man whose name you’ve heard for the first time years ago in whispered conversations in the town you lived. He was not only a formidable shinobi among his own people, known for their experience at the battlefield and the power of their ocular jutsu, the Sharingan, but was also a ruthless warrior, someone a man with sense would not want as adversary. According to what you’ve heard, there was only one person who could be called an equal to him: a ninja of the Senju clan, a man called Hashirama. Well, you’ve never met or seen this Hashirama, but after meeting Madara, it was hard for you to imagine someone you could compare to him.

And to stay alive and safe beside this man – who you just gave you your first kiss, who had no hesitation in questioning you about things you’d think twice before sharing with someone and seemed to sense every subtle attempt of yours to hide something from him – you were going to turn into someone else, a woman whose existence you never knew about until yesterday, and with who you shared no more than the physical resemblance, pointed out many times since you arrived at that house.

You caught yourself thinking about her. Who was she? How did she disappear? Why? Was she dead, or just missing? What did she think about this marriage? What did she feel for her future husband? Did she talk to him, at least once? Madara stated that she was ready to do her part on this, but was she? Or  was she as lost as you? Well, did it matter?  _You_ were going to live there, not her. You were going to be brought to him during the ceremony, for a treaty needed to be honored, even though you had no part  in it; you were going to be touched and taken by him, to belong to him, and then you were going to walk in her shoes, dress in her clothes, sit at her place in the table, sing her songs and water the leaves of her garden. You were going to be her, and that was all.

He also explained that you would have to improve your education in order to become as skilled as her, to be her perfect replacement, but was he expecting you to feel the same feelings he expected from her? Did he even want her love and appreciation? He never made  that clear. Still, the answer to this question you  w ould find with time;  y ou shouldn’t be worried about it. What you should be worried about, now that you had some time to rest and to see your decision settle in your mind, was what you were going to see growing in your heart. You’ve already noticed that there could be some space for fear, and remembering the kiss, the firmness of his hands around you made it clear that there would be a place for desire  too , but would there be room for something more?

Would there be room for love?

  
  


***

  
  


The morning came quiet and warm just as its predecessor. The porch’s door were left half open for the passage of fresh air, and through it also entered the singing of the birds coming from the garden and distant human voices, maybe from the people who worked there. The light filtered by the door, reflecting on the walls, created a yellowish aura, and you spent a moment sitting on your futon, looking around, acknowledging the fact that you survived one more day to see this seconds of peace. When you felt ready, you left the bed and went to the bathroom to take care of yourself.

When you opened the bathroom’s door, the steam from your bath invad ed  the room, and  when it faded out and you were able to see it clearly, you startled: beside the futon, ordered side by side, there were what you  thought to be two gifts.

You came to look closer and saw that your eyes were not deceived. The larger object you spotted was a  _koto_ ; unlike the one your mother  lent you for your lessons, this one was new, its wooden structure well polished and the strings were adjusted, ready to be played. The smaller gift was a pile of blank paper for drawing; with them there was a rectangular, black case adorned with floral motifs. You opened it and found brushes and ink, as well as carbon pieces.

You suddenly remembered that Madara asked about your personal skills, and you told him you could play _koto_ and enjoyed drawing during your free time. You put the case back together with the paper and stood up; you ran to the porch’s door, half open just as you saw it when you woke up, and went outside, hoping to see the person who left the gifts there. You looked at your right and your left.

\- Wait! Madara-sa…

But the porch was silent. No one was there except for you. You sighed. You came back to your room and started to think about the possibility that Madara didn’t even come to bring those things to you in person; he might have sent someone to do it. Anyway, if Izuna was right in everything he said, you would have more opportunities to thank him later.

You’ve put the paper and the case on the small table at the corner and went back to the _koto_. You knelt before it, pulled your sleeves up (which was not necessary, but you always did it before start playing) and touched the strings with your fingers.

Indeed the instrument was ready; whoever the person who designed and prepared it, they must have been a master. Soon you were involved in the sounds flowing around you, spreading through the silent air of the room and draining outside by the gap on the porch’s door.

The song started delicate, slow, then grew into something cheerful, as pure as that spring day. You realized you were playing a song that you composed to your old student, Hiroshi’s daughter. You were going to teach it to her when you came back to her father’s house, hoping the time you would spend with her to be enough to help you during your mourning days. Then Hiroshi destroyed your hopes and put another burden on your back, one that was even heavier than your mother’s death. You started to think about his daughter. Where was she now? Was she okay? Was she safe? Did someone take her away from her mischievous father? If only you weren’t forced to leave that house so fast… You could have had some time to take measures to protect the child…

The vision of the strings before you became blurry  and your tears started to roll through your face, falling on the instrument. You hid your eyes with your hands and bent down to suffocate your sobbing.

M inutes passed, and the tears started to cease. You raised your head and wiped your face, then took a deep breath.  You were about to stand up, but a confusion of noises and loud voices came from the outside, and you feared that something bad was going to happen.  You’ve put yourself together and went to the door, hiding behind it in case someone was close enough to see you.

Not  so far from there, there were three people who seemed to be involved in a serious argument. Two of them you already knew: Aiko and Ayane. The third one was a man you haven’t saw there yet. However, it didn’t matter because once you’ve put your eyes on him, you disliked him immediately.  Something in him reminded you of Hiroshi.

The man was making furious gestures toward the women, as if he was disappointed or irritated with something which fault he attributed to them.  Aiko was trying to resonate with him in her conciliating manners, while Ayane was being more intense in her attempt to stop the fight.  None of the methods succeeded in calm ing the man’s moods and the  things were becoming worse.

At some moment, you saw the man approaching the women impetuously. He raised a hand as they stepped away. Ayane screamed and Aiko was about to cry, begging for him to stop.

Y ou didn’t think  nor consider what you were doing: when you noticed, you found yourself running toward the group and stopping between the man and Ayane. You used your arms to protect yourself  from the punch that was going in your direction; yet you stood your ground, and the strike didn’t make more than push ing you one step behind and leav ing your skin aching.

Then everyone fell silent.

You slowly laid down your arms to see the reason for that and found out that you managed to stop the fight. But it wasn’t  relief what you saw  in their faces.

Aiko and Ayane were shocked: obviously none of them were expecting to see you storming in the middle of a fight that way.  The man, on his turn, had a deeper transformation: the anger abandoned his face and gave place to a paleness only seen  in the face of people experiencing a state of pure horror.

Of course. The man  was a servant of the house too; he probably knew about you,  and because of this he should have known what was going to happen to him for laying his hand on his master’s betrothed.

Soo n you saw that he did,  for the pallor on his face was provoked by what he was seeing now: when you looked over your shoulder, you found Madara himself among the group, between you and the women. You startled and stepped back,  turning to him as he slowly approached the servant, his dark eyes not seeming to notice anything but the man trembling and sweating, his mouth barely holding the scream.

Your feet never felt heavier; you wanted to run, to reach the Uchiha leader and tell him to, please, not do whatever he was considering to do to this man, for you sensed that his punishment was going to be severe.

It happened so fast that your eyes couldn’t follow or understand it. In a moment, the man was stammering to his master, and in the next he was suffocating: Madara had his hand clenched around the man’s neck;  when you noticed how little effort he was putting in that movement, your heart froze. The man had his feet dangling and kicking in the air, and his face was going from white to dark; his voice was now gone.  Suddenly, his eyes were blank as if he was under a spell.  You  didn’t know what Madara did to the man, but you knew that if it continued for much longer, he  was not  going to survive.

So you tried to do something.

\- M… Madara-sama!

Your voice sounded louder than you expected, but it caught his attention. Madara looked at you without a word, and once you laid your eyes on his, you opened your mouth: his eyes were no longer black, but red, as red as blood,  with some sort of pattern that guided the red over the pupils . So that was  how the Uchiha’s great doujutsu  looked like  when activated. You  then  remembered that night in your room and  couldn’t escape from  the conclusion:  it was his eyes you saw. His. That’s why Izuna didn’t want to talk to you about it. He probably knew, or he figured it out when you told him.

Madara Uchiha was not as indifferent to your presence in his house as you thought. He has been observing you  even before you acknowledge it.

You forced your feet to take one step closer to the two men  and spoke as loud as before.

\-  Please, Madara-sama… leave him.

\- And why would I do that? – he asked, calm despite the agony of the man; this latter squirmed when he increased the grip on his neck, and the women behind you suffocated a scream – He should have known that a man does not touch his master’s fiancee and walks away right after.

\- Yes, but I should not have got into his way in first place…

Madara spent a moment looking at you.  Was he considering your justification? Then suddenly the red of his eyes became dark until it disappeared, blending with their natural blackness. He released the man, who fell unconscious on the floor, and came to you.  You forced yourself to stay on your place and not move away, though you didn’t know what he was going to do.

In the end, he didn’t do anything scary. He just took your arms and examined their skin, and then did the same with your hands. They were still burning, but somehow his touch alleviated the sensation.

\-  So… Why exactly did you do this? – he  demanded.

You glanced behind, to Aiko e Ayane, who were still quiet, waiting. You looked back at Madara and found his eyes staring at you.

\- These two women have been caring and gentle to me since was brought to your house, Madara-sama. I am glad for their services. So when I saw what that man was about to do to them, I simply could not keep quiet.

\- And you did this despite the possibility of getting bruises? – he held your hands a with bit more of firmness – These could be worse.

You already had a reply to that.

\- It does not matter to me, Madara-sama.

He kept silent for an instant, studying your face, pondering your words, measuring your reasons. That was not the first time he did it to you, but you thought you’d never get used to that.

He released your hands and the weight of his look diminished.

\- Y/n. Do not do this again – you were about to open your mouth to say something, but he just continued to speak – However, you do not need to worry about it, for it will not happen again.

He turned to the man, still unconscious on the ground.

\- He is not going to die. I’ve just put him in a genjutsu. He will be free of it by the evening. I believe this is enough punishment for his nasty behavior.

Finally, he spoke to the women.

\- You two can take him with you. Leave him on his bed and go back to your tasks.

They silently obeyed. You observed as they lifted his body and each of them took one of his arms over their shoulders, as two people who carried a third one while they were under the influence of wine.  They did not look at your direction.  You suspected that this was not the first time they did it.

When they were finally gone, Madara told you to follow him. He passed by you and you walked right after. You took the silent time of the walking to observe his calm steps, the symbol at the back of his clothes, sometimes hidden under his hair, sometimes visible when the wind moved its thick strands.

I n the end he just led you back to your room. The  _koto_ was still on the floor, close to your futon. You walked toward it and knelt before it, as if you were preparing yourself to play to Madara. H e stood still, in front of you. You waited, quiet as well.

\- I notice you appreciated the gift.

You raised your eyes to him and saw a brief smile on his lips.

\- Yes, I did – you felt safe to smile in response – Thank you very much for it, Madara-sama.

To your surprise he knelt before the instrument.

\- Tell me about the song you chose to play. That one you were playing before the recent episode.

You swallowed.

\-  I’ve composed that song. I was going to teach it to my student before I… I left the lord’s house.

He made no considerations that time.

\- Play it for me.

You obeyed. But this time you didn’t cry.


	8. Body Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In just a few days, the ceremony was going to take place. You had to be prepared, and to make sure it would happen, Madara himself came to teach you how to do your part. Problem was that you were unable to master it, and the main cause of your difficulty was in something called body memory: yours consisted in maintaining a barrier between you and the out world, which harmed youri nteractions with others. In another words, you were a shy, hesitating girl, and that was interfering in your progress.
> 
> Maybe Madara had a solution for that, and one that could work in so little time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, this chapter was totally unplanned lol I was writing another scene when, during my revision of its draft, the events described here came out, and I couldn't leave them aside XD
> 
> I also apologize if things are getting confused and it's hard to understand reader's feelings for Madara and about all the current situation, but that was the intention since the start: a confusion, a mess that lies between fear, desire and attachment, though reader just met this man and already saw what he is capable of. I promise I will make some things clear in the future, but for now this is what we're gonna have lol
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy it :)

Since you’ve started to walk on the surroundings outside your room, you’ve been noticing something strange:  the garden, the porch and all the  other  places you were allow ed to go to seemed empty. Not that you were  always  alone at them: Ayane and Aiko  used to be with you. But you haven’t seem more people there  besides them , whether they were servants or other clan members.

Alongside the women, the Uchiha brothers were the only ones who talked directly to you. Madara only met you two times, and he didn’t talk much to you during the second one. Even Izuna seemed to speak to you more often while he was there. You already knew that Madara’s only family was his younger brother, and he was not in the house at the moment: right after bringing you to his leader, he was sent on another mission and you didn’t hear of him since then. 

T hat day  you were at the garden, enjoying the sunset.  You were sitting on the grass thinking  about it ;  unfortunately, there was no one with whom you could discuss this:  Ayane had to go back to  the house to do  some task with Aiko and  you were  left  alone  among the cherry trees .  Seeing their branches all empty after the blossoming was sad. M aybe this circumstance was what made you consider this peculiarity.

It was when you started to think that you  were being purposely  kept isolated in Madara’s house.  Realizing t his was not really a surprise  to you, of course: your true identity was some sort of secret only shared with his brother and the women responsible for your needs,  so that no one else should know about your existence.  This also  could have  explained the rage Madara showed towards that servant who were arguing with Aiko and Ayane that day: the man was not only threatening them, but was invading an area that was forbidden to him.

All of this led you to question about the presence of members of the original betrothed’s clan. Because the ceremony would happen soon, there must have been some of their representatives staying in the Uchiha property. But were they near or far from you? Were they receiving any news about the girl they believed to be their pair? How was she being treated? Was she having all her needs satisfied? Didn’t they question this arrangement in which she was being kept separated from them, or was it a common tradition?

There were many questions for which you had no answer s.  Izuna would certainly know them, but you doubted that he would say something to you if he was there. So  Madara was the only one who could give  those answers to you.  However, you wouldn’t ask him for them: since you’ve met, he didn’t tell more than  what  he  considered to be necessary  for you to know ,  and he never made it clear if you were allowed to make questions  or not ,  nor what of questions were considered appropriate  in the first case .  You finally  came to the  conclu sion  that some things you would only find out during  and after  the wedding.

In the next day, you were informed  that  the ceremony was going to take place in two days.  You  were also told that you were going to have your  comings and goings restricted during this period in order to maintain your physical conditions at their best:  you were still recovering from your weakness, which must not show during the ceremony’s day. You also suspected that it was important to stay well for the sake of the wedding night: you only met your future husband once, but the little you acknowledged from him made it clear that a weak ened woman was the last thing he would need in that moment.

All  these precautions also served to make the women’s work easier: they were responsible for making sure that your appearance would be as perfect as possible when the day came. You  yourself  didn’t know how much you resemble “the other girl”, as you got used to think of her,  and your only way of comparison were  the comments of Madara and his brother, but every detail needed attention, so that your secret would never be revealed.

During the first day, you were informed about the details of the ceremony and how you should behave in order to do your part, what you would need to say, how to reply to the officiant and things of that kind. At first, you found it hard to remember everything: there were so many things that you started wondering if you would be capable of handling everything. It was when you finally understood why you should stay in your room most of the time in those days: your time was running out and there were too much to do now that you were partially recovered.

Maybe your initial difficulty in decorating your part was due to the fact that Madara himself was the person who talked to you about the ceremony and taught you what you needed to learn. He explained what you have to do and stated that you should concentrate all your attentions in it in order to learn, then he came from time to time to see your progress. You didn’t say a word about it (you didn’t even have anyone to talk to about it, since Ayane wasn’t there during his appearances), but you were almost sure that he didn’t really leave when he exited your room. It was something you were going to get used to in that house: living there was like having all your steps watched, even when Madara was not around.

He was a capable  and patient  instructor, indeed, but  you had to admit he was  not the most gentle one:  h e  never hesitated to say what  pleased him or not,  no matter how  harsh it sounded to you.  If he considered you did a good job, all you would get from him was a nod and one or two words of approval, but if he noticed  something that need ed correction he would make you repeat it until you mastered it;  it didn’t matter if you wanted a break  or thought you weren’t going to succeed, he would not  let you  give up .  You’ve already heard about the determination and discipline of the shinobi, but this was beyond your expectations, though you had no parameters to compare Madara’s way and other ninja’ s .

He also  had no restraints  in approaching and touching you during  the lessons: he would  not think twice before  hold ing your jawline and lift your face if he thought you were looking at the ground for too long  (things like “look at me” or “keep your eyes on mine” came out from his mouth countless times);  he would hold your hands while you were repeating your sentences, and  if you stuttered or  said them too low, he would squeeze them a little to make you speak louder and clearer;  he would stand behind you and pass his hands around you r waist to correct your posture if necessary.

There was a moment when this happened and he stood there, close to you for an unusual amount of time. He didn’t say anything, yet there seemed to be something that was displeasing him. Finally, you understood you would have to ask him about it.

\- What is wrong, Madara-sama? –  you whispered.

He tightened his grip around you in response. You were trembling at his body’s heat blending with yours, his hand over your ribs, his breath on the skin of your neck.

\- I’ve just found out what is wrong, y/n. I’ve been sensing your solitude since I’ve met you for the first time. The root to all your difficulty is the fact that you are not used to be so close to other people, but the role you are going to play is based on full interaction with others, and finally with me – he approached his lips to your ear – So, if we want to make it work, we need to eliminate these hesitating manners of yours and turn our proximity into something natural. Problem is that we do not have much time, so that we are going to need to work with what we have.

\-  But how are we going to do this,  Madara-sama?

Y ou heard a muffled laugh close to your ear. He released you.

\- Look at me.

Y ou turned  and noticed a new light in his eyes.

\-  I have an idea, and I will need your entire compliance  to execute it .

Y ou  could only imagine  what he was planning to do, and of course you were afraid. However, as many times in your life since you were found dying at the river’s shore, you had no time to think or to hesitate. You just accept his decision.

\-  You have my compliance. What are we going to do?

H is smile widened, as if he found your determination entertaining.

\-  Y/n, we are going to  dance .

  
  


***

  
  


I t was still in the morning.

In that quiet, isolated part of the garden, with no trees to cover your vision of the sky nor bushes to surround you and having only the grass underneath your feet, Madara and you were standing in front of each other, in silence. He told you to follow him there for you two would need some space and privacy to what you were going to do.

In your way there, you exchanged a few words.

\- But… what if someone appears, Madara-sama? And what if Ayane or Aiko start to look for me?

\- They will not look for you, because I told them I was going to need some time alone with you – he glanced to you – Didn’t you find it strange that they did not come back to your room after leaving it early today?

\- Well, yes. It makes sense.

\- And about the possibility of someone showing up unexpectedly… it will not happen – he continued – And even if it does, I have sensory capacities. Once they arrived, I would notice their presence.

You soon noticed that Madara seemed to have more patience than his brother to answer questions. That didn’t mean you would take the risk of overwhelming him with them, of course: he was the type of person who just says what is necessary and when he thinks to be necessary. You knew that your doubts would be clarified at the right time.

When you arrived at that part of the garden and had Madara’s eyes over you, you noticed a subtle smile on his face, as if your confused expression at his previous words about dancing still amused him. It wouldn’t be a surprise if that was the case, because you were still confused and waiting for an answer.

\- I apologize for the way I expressed myself before – he started, still smiling – It is clear that dancing means two different things for each of us.

You hid your hands behind your back. You never knew that this word had any other meaning than the obvious one.

\- And what this word means to you, Madara-sama?

\-  In a simple word, it means fighting – he laughed at your widened eyes – Y/n,  have you ever heard of something called body memory?

Y ou nodded. You’ve read something about this subject once.

\- It is said that our bodies carry a physical history of our experiences and behave accordingly. Because of this ability, we can teach the most varied lessons to ourselves through the principle of body memory.

\- Exactly. It is good to s e e that you already  have  some familiarity with the concept – he approved – It will make things easier for both of us.  Now, listen. According to what I’ve learned in my observations, your body was taught to maintain a barrier separating you from other people. The reasons, I can only imagine. I could look for them into your memories using my dojutsu, but we do not have time for that. Instead, let’s state that the main challenge in your case will be teaching your body to behave correctly when you are around a group of people.  Something like would usually take several days in normal circumstances, but we do not have all this time at our disposal.  The only way I know  to teach  you  such a complex lesson in so little time is to make you fight.

He took a step closer to you.

\- Y/n, you are going to fight me.

You couldn’t believe what you’ve just heard. Fight him? How?

\- But, Madara-sama, I… I am not a warrior. I do not know how to do it.

\-  Of course you do not – he calmly said –  And this is why I brought you here. To teach you.

He raised his hand,  its palm turned to you.

\- Starting with the basics, punch my palm.

You swallowed. You raised your right hand and closed it before doing as he said. Your punch barely made a noise or moved his hand; it felt like nothing to him, and he said that to you.

\- I saw when you defend those women with your bare hands, girl. You have some strength in this body, otherwise you would not stand against that man’s strike. I know you can do better than this – he raised his hand for the second time – Try again. Stronger.

\- Stronger? – you hesitated – What if I… hurt you?

This time, you managed to bring a true smile to his face. Somehow it seemed even more scary to you.

\- Y/n. Even if there was a way for you to hurt me, I would not let you know. Now, try again.

You tried it again. Stronger, as he told you. The result was similar to the previous time, and Madara told you to do it for third time. You did it. Then he raised his other hand and told you to punch with your left one. You did it. You started to alternate your hands and continued to strike until you found a rhythm, and your punches became stronger, well guided. At first you were afraid to get tired, but it did not happen, so you let this worry aside and concentrated on what you had to do. The more you repeated the lesson to yourself, the more natural it became.

For a long time, you could only listen to the breeze passing through your ears, your own breath, becoming heavy with the exercise and the sound of your hands striking his. Suddenly, you heard his voice among all of this.

\- Enough.

You stopped and waited.

\-  You are striking with more strength, I can  feel  it . But you are still holding back. Do not limit yourself.  Try again.

You obeyed. You maintained your pace, and thought of not restraining your movements, of just do as he said with no hesitation. Apparently,  it was still not enough.

\- Do not stop, y/n – he was saying – Just listen to what I say. Your body was taught to hold back what you have in order to maintain the barrier between you and the outer world. To break down this barrier, you have to bring your feelings to what you are doing. Bring out your thoughts. Your memories. Your bonds. Your shame. Your fear. Your pain. Your rage.

As his words echoed in your head, you started to remember everything that led you to the place you were, to the circumstances guiding your life now. You remembered  your childhood,  your parents and their farewell; the war and the exodus in which you were forced to participate;  the friends who died in the journey and the ones who took different paths, away from you;  your arrival at your adoptive mother’s house; your relationship with her; her lessons, her orientation and her love; your economic difficulties; your work at Hiroshi’s house; his daughter, with her bright smile and sweet manners; Hiroshi’s harassment; the moment you ran from his house; the darkness and the loneliness of your journey until you’ve reached the river; Izuna’s appearance, your conversation and your consent to be brought to that house.

You remembered everything, and what such memories  awakened  scared even you.  All the things Madara told you  to  bring out came through your punches, and your eyes were now full of tears; your throat was tightened with anger, and it was harder to hold back a scream.

\- You are finally learning – he said, not hiding the satisfaction in his voice – But your strikes are still too weak. Use your strength.

\-  But I cannot do better than this,  Madara-sama –  you said while punching.

\-  Yes, you can – it was the reply – And you will.

\- But,  Madara-sama...

\-  Just do it, girl. Do  not act like you were weak, or I will end up believing you are. But the thing is that I do not like weak people. So do not make me despise you.

If those words were said to enrage or to hurt you, you couldn’t tell. But their effect was precisely what Madara intended,  because your sensed your anger coming up through your stomach, impossible to be contained, and started striking with everything you got. You were not going to be held down, to be ashamed, to be abused again, whether by a war, by tragedies or  by people like Hiroshi or Ayane’s brother-in-law.  You haven’t come so far only to bring disgust to the man who saved your life. You were going to deserve your new place, your new name and your new family, because this is what Madara was going to be to you: a family. Different from the ones you had before, and not exactly how you expected, but still a family. You were not going to disappoint your family.

You only noticed how much effort you’ve  been put ting in your striking when Madara told you to stop and you did it, sweating and breathing heavily.

\-  Th at’s enough for today – he stated – Considering that this is  the first training  of your life  and  that we have  so  little time, your performance was satisfactory.  However, I do not want to have you tired, not much more than you are now.

You took a step ahead, but didn’t get too far: he approached and took you in his arms.

\-  Let me carry you back to your room – he whispered.

You nodded,  then passed your arm s around his neck.  Madara adjusted the grip around your body and left the place with you.

In a moment, you were back to your room, and he was about to leave you in your futon.

Unlike other times when he and other people came close to you , you didn’t startle  when he took you . Maybe you were too tired to maintain your usual modesty, but you could swear something  has changed in you after that striking session. Your senses were turned on their last levels.  Fatigue, pain, sadness, anger, desire –  you felt every  single emotion  in a turmoil,  coming out from your pores with the sweat  and the tiredness.  You couldn’t remember the last time you felt that way. Was that the sensation of being alive?

When he bent down to release you , you noticed that your breathing was synchronized with his, and this  somehow  calmed you down. You raised your eyes to his and saw that they were already observing you,  that pair of dark globes inside which you could drown if you weren’t careful, or that was what you thought when you met them for the first time; now, you  weren’t feeling the need of caution, nor  seemed to  underst an d it  with the urgency of before .

You only noticed what you were doing when  your mouth was so close to his that you had no choice but to let the kiss happen.  You kept your arms around his neck, your fingers wrapping the strands of his hair around them;  he had one arm around your waist while the other was still under your legs, and you felt when they tightened up, bringing you closer to him.  You then felt the mattress underneath you: he released you, but didn’t move away. The arm he had on your waist slid and his hand reached the back of your head; his fingers  held your hair  in a way that kept you in place, but it didn’t hurt. His other arm moved from its spot too,  so that his other hand grabbed your thigh  as it happen during your first kiss,  but t his gesture didn’t make you startle  nor blush  as before:  instead, you  realized you liked it.

This second kiss, as a whole, felt more natural and expected than the first one. Was it a result  of the first training,  of the alterations in your body memory ? But so soon?  You didn’t know, but  you found out you didn’t care about it.  You also noticed you weren’t  worried about the fact that you were tired and sweating:  y ou remembered when Izuna commented about your state while carrying you; he said his brother would be disgusted by your scent at that time. Now it seemed that the younger Uchiha was just trying to provoke you or making a joke, for nothing in your body seemed to displease his brother now.

Madara removed his hand from your hair and held your chin and for an instant, then his lips separated from yours.

\- It is already working – he whispered, smiling – You are not hesitating as before. Now there is a chance for things to work, and for you to succeed in your part.

He then gave you one last, brief kiss and moved away, standing up.

\- We will have another session tomorrow. I will see you by the morning, before the sun rises. So take some rest and be prepared.


	9. A Treaty With an Unreliable Clan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As he told you the day before, Madara came to take you to the second and last session of training. But this time he had some information to give you first: though your time was running out, he had to tell about the girl's clan and part of their story with the Uchiha. It was only a short version of years of historical comings and goings, but you already sensed that there could be more behind her vanishing than you first thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... after a while trying to state the most important details of the plot, I came up with this chapter that only scratches the surface of a long story between the Todoroki and the Uchiha. Hopefully, we will find out reader's place in this sea of conflicts and games. I was really wanting to include some complex matters in this story but still keep it as simple as it was in the start, and I'm enjoying it a lot! I hope you enjoy it too ;) PS: there isn't a specific reason why I chose the name Todoroki for the clan. The name just came to my mind and I couldn't find a better one, so it had to be Todoroki.
> 
> Notes: I am not sure about the English word used to describe that plaid cloth people use in picnics upon the grass. If you know the word, please tell me XD Also, I have no idea of how one makes their bed when he uses to sleep on a futon, so I just assumed that there was a sheet upon the mattress itself (upon which you sleep) and another one to cover everything. If you sleep on a futon, please contact me and explain to me how it works! lol

You opened your eyes in a startle,  yet you found nothing around you but the darkness. You moved on the mattress, to try and spot something among the shadows as well as to make sure you were not late. Madara told you to be prepared, for you would leave before the sunrise.  You woke up at least two times before that one, but it was not the time to stand up yet; now you weren’t sure.

You fought against the burning sensation in your eyes caused by the remaining sleep and sat on the futon. You looked around for the second time and sensed some grayish light rising outside the porch’s door,  being filtered by its translucent material and filling the room with what seemed to be a mist curtain .  Should you leave the bed now? Well, you found it better to do so. You moved the sheets away and, after some stretching, you stood up; you grabbed the clothes you kept separated the night before and went to the bathroom to take care of yourself.

When you came back, the room was as quiet and as dark as when you left. Your feet crossed the distance between the bathroom’s door and the bed without a noise; you were going to fold the sheets and wait for Madara there.

However, you didn’t go too far.

One more step toward the futon and you sensed something like a presence behind you. You turned to look and your heart almost jumped out from your mouth when you found a shadow with glimmering eyes staring at you. Stepping behind, you were going to scream and stumble in the mattress, but none of this happened: with one hand the shadow grabbed you before the fall, while the other hand covered your mouth, only giving you room to breathe.

When it was clear that you were not going to make a fuzz, he relaxed the grip around you and uncovered your mouth. You sighed.

\- You scared me… Madara-sama.

He couldn’t contain a smile and moved his hands away from you.

\- As always –  he then  walked toward the porch’s door,  glancing over his shoulder – I hope you are ready by now. Shall we?

You hesitated. He turned to you.

\- What is it?

\- I myself am ready – you explained, turning to the futon – But I’d like to make my bed before leaving. It is a habit I’d like to maintain.

Madara looked at your bed and back to you before nodding as a sign of approval.

\- Good. Make your bed, then.

You nodded and started to fold the sheets. You softened your pillow and put the sheets under it, just like your mother taught you when you were little, then passed your hands through the mattress to clean it before covering with its cape. As you worked, you felt his eyes at your back, catching all the details despite the penumbra in which the room was drowned in; each movement of yours were observed and examined to the point that a task as ordinary as making your bed became some sort of resistence test. You started to think that you should have already be used to it, for you have been watched since your arrival, but there was a possibility that you would never managed to see it as something normal. You never liked being watched.

When everything was finished, you stood up and turned to him. He opened the porch’s door and you grabbed the sandals you left at the porch’s entry, following him to the gray morning outside.

  
  


***

  
  


That time you had to walk to reach the place where you were going to train. Not that it was bad, though: the spring air was delightful under the first light of the day, and a breeze was blowing through the trees and over the grass; the birds just started their singing, and nothing beyond their voices was heard. Looking at your surroundings in such circumstances, you almost felt in peace.

The place of training was the same as yesterday, quiet and wide; however, you felt a cold you didn’t noticed the first time you’ve been there. It would not make any difference, though: it was going to be hot later and you were going to sweat, maybe more than the other day.

You didn’t immediately start the training. Madara led you under the low branche s  of a tree and showed you a towel covering a part of the ground.  Upon it there was something wrapped with a kitchen cloth, which you understood to be a bowl  and a cup of bamboo.  A  recently prepared breakfast. Was it  made by him or by one of the servants? You  didn’t have the courage to ask.

He  knelt on the edge of the towel and told you to take a place on the opposite side.  When you did it, he indicated the  pack .

\-  E at.  You  will not go too far without being properly fed.

Y ou  unwrapped the cloth and put it aside.  You  then  held the bowl with one hand and took the pair of hashi  with the other. Before putting them to stir the content, you looked at him.

\- Thank you, Madara-sama.

He nodded, and you started to eat. At first, it was not that easy: the content of the bowl and the cup smelled good, but you weren’t hungry. It didn’t go unnoticed by him.

\- I see that you are not used to eat by this time of the day. But  think of the benefits and  make some effort.  You need to preserve your good aspect for the ceremony.

You obeyed. It took more time than usual, but you finally emptied the bowl. You suspected that Madara would not let you stand up before finishing your breakfast, but fortunately for you nor the bowl nor the cup were  that full.

After breakfast, you two didn’t stand up immediately. It seemed that Madara was in no hurry. Soon, you saw that this was not the case: it  happened that your training was not only physical, and there were some things he needed to  explain to you.

\-  As you can imagine, y/n, I had a reason for choosing this hour of the day to bring you here – he started as soon as he had your full attention –  There are some things you need to know, not only about the ceremony, but about the treaty between the Uchiha and the other clan,  the Todoroki.

Todoroki? You tried to think if you’ve heard about them before. Apparently, no; if it was because they were a minor clan or their name was too common, you weren’t sure.

Madara started to tell you how Izuna left the house still by the night when he brought you to his brother. He was sent on a mission all alone to investigate some facts about the clan that remained obscure even after the two families have determined each one’s part in the treaty; he was expected to return by the end of that day, so that he could be at the wedding. Being the groom’s brother, his absence during the ceremony would look suspicious.

\-  I do not have enough time to tell you the whole story, so I will just say that we the Uchiha have some story with this clan –  he was saying – We  and the Todoroki  were never exactly friends of each other until some  time ago. As I explained to you before, they were never known for producing the best warriors, choosing to focus on erudition, politics and diplomacy instead. This has brought problems as much as advantages for them all over the years.  Now, because of the frailty caused by the lack of a proper shinobi army, they were facing difficulties  regarding security and were forced to seek for support alongside a stronger clan. Turned out that they came  to us. At first I was not willing to make them our allies, for I do not appreciate weakness  and for my knowledge about  their antipathy for my clan , but even they ha ve their strong traits, so I decided to accept their offer.  However, we could not be so ingenuous to think that we did not have to be careful.

A  strange glimmering appeared in his eyes after those words, but within a second it was gone. He just continued to speak as if nothing happened.

\- This particular clan might not be famous by the power of their shinobi, but their connections and influence over different noble families have been used for any kind of purposes during their story. In other words, they were not to be trusted without question, and held too power in their hands for one to take them lightly. And knowing that they were not allies of the Uchiha since the start, I would not say yes to anything that came from them without gathering some information. I delegated this work to Izuna and other men of my trust. They were in the middle of a complex mission of this nature when the girl who was sent by them to be my wife suddenly disappeared.

F or a moment, Madara didn’t say a word, and the silence  around  his spot was heavy. You felt like the birds stopped singing at that revelation, and even the breeze was no longer blowing.

\-  This girl that you are to replace was  the Todoroki leader’s daughter –  he continued – I believe Izuna never mentioned it to you, but her name was  Sachiko. I  ha ve met her for the first time during a visit at the family’s property in (…).  J udging by what I know from both of you, I can say you have some resemblances in your manners and tone besides the physical appearance, but nothing more than that. She had a talent to handle social situations  by herself  and was clearly raised by her family to  follow the traditional norms. She was ready to perform her role even  after marriage ,  when we would spend time by ourselves and thus have nothing to hide from each other. On the other hand, you, y/n, are more… how can I put it in words?…  Well, I hope you do not mind if I use the term  _wild_ . You are more wild in a sense that you have nothing but what truly belongs to you.  Not the nobleness, nor the rules or the interests o others to be carried on your shoulders.  You are gentle, have good manners  and  has chose honesty as your motivation. This sort of purity is hard to find these days.  Allow me  to  say  that I appreciate that.  It is something we can use in our favor during the ceremony, but  I see that keeping in a role for a long time would wear you out, and then our plans would  end up being useless.

Y ou were still getting used to the way Madara stated his thoughts and views, and you could even say you appreciated his peculiar use of words, but somehow you sensed that there would always be  something between a sentence and other that would caught you off guard, just like that time:  _wild_ would be the last word you’d use to describe yourself, but he managed to find a meaning for it that would fit  you and that could only be found  in something said by himself.

A nother thing that still surprised you was the easiness with which he could change the subjective tone of his conversation to something simple and practical, as he did right after those comments:

\- According to what I’ve found out, Sachiko’s disappearance happened during her travel from her own house in order to arrive here. She was meant to spend a few days in my house in preparation for our wedding, while I was going to send some of my shinobi to improve her safety on the road as a part of our families’ treaty. Her family was going to travel right after her. However, she disappeared before my men could reach her group. Of course my first suspicion fell on her clan: there was a possibility that they were planning some betrayal and that the girl’s case was just a distraction from their true intentions. But I had no proof at the time, so I’ve sent some of my men to work beside them in the search. At the same time, Izuna, who just came back from his previous mission, was chosen to investigate the events in secret. And what he found out confirmed some of my suspicions.

So Madara knew more about the girl’s case than you imagined. Of course, he would take some action by himself, being the precautious man he was, but now you found yourself wanting to hear everything he had to tell.

\-  According to my brother’s  research , the girl disappeared in the middle of the night, and things were arranged in a way that it would look like she left by her own choice and didn’t want to be followed. I myself do not understand how something like this could be possible, since she was not a shinobi and thus she could be easily tracked by some of our people.  Also, the people who were traveling with her – her servants and some ninjas responsible for her safety – just vanished. If dead or abducted, we could not find out.  Izuna and I talked for hours  at closed doors, and our conclusion was that if her clan was planning to betray us, they might have tried to forge  an excuse to dishonor the treaty .

A fter saying that, he fell silent for a second, then a strange,  low sound came up his throat and caught you off guard. You took a moment to identify it as a laugh, but once you did, you felt some discomfort with the  hilarity and the despise in it.  You waited for him to explain what was so funny.

\-  I still find it hard to believe that the  Todoroki would be so plain in their action s, that there  was not a single person  among  them  who suggested  that making the girl disappear in a sudden and unexplained manner would only expose them as the unreliable scum they are? –  after staring at you for a second, he raised his eyebrow – I see. Hearing me speak in such terms about my betrothed’s clan is unsettling for you. I understand. But I believe you have heard enough to agree with my statement,  or at least with part of it . Their actions just served to ruin their own reputation before the Uchiha and to alert us.  And now that we have you, y/n, we have little to worry about.

You didn’t understand why, but something in the way Madara smiled at you made you froze.

\- Once they lay their eyes on you, we the Uchiha will know exactly if they were treacherous and how much. Whatever the case, they will have to keep their mouths shut and to cooperate.

Soon he abandoned his relaxed position at the grass ground and stood on his feet. He looked down at you and you saw that the smile was still there.  You understood it as a sign for you to stand up too. You started to do it, but apparently you weren’t fast enough, for you sensed a shadow  stopping beside you,  getting you on your feet; when you looked up, you found Madara close to you, his arm around your waist. You took a deep breath and told yourself that it was better if you get used to not be able to follow his moves with your eyes.

\- So… our only preoccupation for now is to finish our training –  he approached his lips to your ear – A nd  to make sure you will be ready.


	10. Sachiko Uchiha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day during which the wedding took place finally came. Ayane and Aiko were there to assist you, but it was with the younger woman that you had a very necessary conversation: about life, love and wedding nights. Ayane, who were married once, had some things to say, but she made it clear that in these matters, each person needs to find their own way. When you confess you were afraid of it, she assured you that you would find such way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So in this chapter we have an extremely important conversation between female friends! At first I hesitated to write this chapter the way I did, bc I was afraid of the possibility of seeing it becoming boring, but the truth is that I wanted to bring an important message through it, specially for women: do not be afraid to talk to each other, to support each other in your doubts, insecurities and fears. Even if we have completely different life styles and experiences, we still can act with friendship and kindness towards each other. In this story, reader might say that Madara saved her life in a practical way, giving her a house and basic needs for her survival, but she counted on many women during her life as she carved her way through this world, and she's certainly glad for it.
> 
> Women supporting women :)  
> I also gave up on including details of the wedding itself a) bc I have no idea of how a ceremony like this would work in Narutoverse b) I don't think it's necessary. The tension of this chapter's last sentences are enough.

When the day of the wedding finally came, you woke up before the sun.

Your eyes opened in the dark and searched around the room,  almost without realizing what they were doing ; what they were looking for, you didn’t know. Maybe some part of you wanted to make sure you were alone.  You thought it was becoming a habit of yours, wanting to check for your privacy: being among people whose eyes could see everything, you would only gain if you acted careful. Was it going to be this way, or even worse, when you started to share a room with their leader? You preferred not to wonder.

When you found nothing but the shadows, you sighed and turned on the bed, trying= to go back to sleep.

You never knew how much time passed, if hours or instants, but it felt like some minutes between the moment when you closed your eyes and when you felt a hand shaking your shoulder and the voice of Ayane  calling your name. You opened your eyes again and saw her by your side.  By the noises you’ve heard  around the room,  you knew Aiko was  there too, doing  her work as the practical woman she was.  You sat on the futon and  saw the bathroom’s door was opened, and she was  close to the bath tub, pouring hot water in  it .

\- Today you are not allowed to go outside, y/n-sama – Ayane explained when you moved the sheets away – You have to well rested and ready before the evening.

You went to the bathroom to wash your face and greeted Aiko with good morning. When you came back, Ayane she stretched her hands and grabbed a tray from the small table.

\- Here, have your breakfast. We have much to work to do, and I was sent to take care of your appearance, while my grandmother will be responsible for the cleaning.

You left  after finishing  the  breakfast and went  back to the bathroom, where Aiko was waiting for you.  You took off your night gown and stepped into the bath tub; now the water was no longer hot, but warm and gentle while touching your skin. Soon  the woman  started  to work. She washed your hair with some lotion with a scent of flowers, then used a soap to clean your skin. You two kept silent, first because there was not much to talk about, second because you still weren’t used to have someone running you a bath like that: after your first day there, you took care of this yourself, as you always did in your life.

When you left the bathroom, Ayane had your clothing, hair pins and make up for you. Aiko went back to the bathroom to reorganize everything there and take out the bath water.  After that, she left. Ayane said she was not coming back so soon, and started helping you with the dress.

Y ou noticed that she has been quieter, more serious than usual since the day of the incident with the man. During your walks in the garden, you found yourself wanting to question her about it, but you  didn’t have the courage to do it,  as if you sensed that you would be invading her privacy if you did.

But on this day, you yourself were overwhelmed with the even ts that awaited you. That day your life was going to change permanently. You would no longer be just a girl, a guest in that house: you would be a married woman, the Uchiha leader’s wife, among all his possessions a living one. You were going to live a life that has been prepar ed for another person, for that was the only chance you were given to survive. You still found it hard to believe in such circumstances.  Your burden felt so heavy that you desperately needed to talk to someone.

Ayane just tightened the fabric stripe of the kimono around your waist when you spoke to her.

\- May I ask you a question?

Her hands stopped when she heard that.

\- Of course, y/n-sama.

\- That man who was arguing with you and Aiko… who was he?

She took a moment to reply. It was clear that if she could avoid the subject forever, she would do it. You felt bad for it, but now it was too late to take back your question.

\- That man – she swallowed – Is my brother-in-law.

You couldn’t help turning your neck to the side with this new information.

\- So you are married, Ayane? You never told me that.

\- Actually, I am a widow – she explained – My husband fought beside Madara-sama in the last war. He was there when everything was finally over. But unfortunately, he was sent on a mission right after that… and never came back.

Her voice became a harsh whisper on this last sentence. You felt a lump in your throat.

\-  I am so sorry for you…  I would never ask if I knew – and in a delicate attempt to guide the conversation to the path you wanted, – So, that was his brother- in-law , but he doesn’t get along with you and your grandmother. Why not? Was he against your marriage with his brother?

Ayane asked you to kneel, for she was going to do your hair. You did it, and she imitated you move, continuing her story:

\- Well, it didn’t happen exactly like that – she grabbed a brush and started to comb your semi wet hair;  she separated it in sections and started to brush the ends of the first one –  At first, we all used to get along. He, his brother and I were known to each other since we were little. Our parents and my grandmother were good friends, so were we. Our relationship changed when we grew up and he found out that his brother and I were in love.  You see, he fell for me and never overcame the rejection. He maintained the relationship with his brother even after our marriage, but he never talked to me again. After my husband’s death, he started to disturb me and my grandmother, giving room to his frustration.

Ayane didn’t say anything more before she finished the combing work. Maybe she was afraid that the subject could make her shake her hands and interfere in her work. Now she doing your hair up with the pins.

\- He had no permission to be there that day.  I do not know what kind of excuse he told the guards or if he secretly entered here – she approached you and her tone became a whisper – Because in case you do not know, he’s a shinobi too, which makes him perfectly capable of doing something like this, but the thing is that he should not have entered this part of the house.

You turned to Ayane and saw that the incident left  in her  a deeper impression than she was willing to show.  Though her problems were of a different nature than yours, you recognized that sort of reaction; you used to notice it in yourself. It led you to hide part of your being and to keep away from other humans; it even made you try and lie to Madara. It was not the defense mechanism you wanted to keep, but it was the one you had, and whether you liked it or not, you survived because of it. But you were alone in this world, without a home and family and a job to maintain your basic needs; Ayane had all of this. You wanted to remind her of that.

Without waiting for her to continue the story, you took her hands in yours.

\- Ayane, listen to me. I do not know what kind of things you and Aiko had to endure because of this man, but Madara-sama said that it will not happen again – you squeezed her hands a little – I do not know him as long as you two, but I can say I trust his word. And even if anything else comes to happen, I will be there for you, just like I did  the other day. I  ha ve been through many things until I was brought to this house – you smiled –  So that now t here are not many things in this world I am afraid of.

S oon you saw tears brightening her eyes, and she started to sob.

\- Thank you, y/n-sama. Thank you so much…

Your response to that was to hug the girl.

\- Everything will be fine for us, Ayane. I have to believe that, otherwise I would not be here.

A minute passed and she interrupted the hug,  wiping out her tears and forcing a smile to lighten the energy of the room.

\- Well,  now I need to  do your make up!  T his is the most complex task after the clothing,  but it is as important as the other one, for your fac will be the first thing you will show to everyone… And to your future husband. He wants to make sure you will be the focus of all the people’s attentions, of course, but  _his_ attentions are to be your priority.

\- I see – you laughed; then you remembered something that has been in the back of your mind for a while, and you felt your face burning – Ayane…

\- Yes? – she was separating the painting and the brushes.

\- I just said that there are not many things in this world that scares me…

\- Hm?

\-  Well… There is one.

\-  Really? – she grabbed a brush already soaked in white paint and turned to you – And what is it?

You prayed that the white make up would be enough to cover your blushing after what you said to her.

\-  Well. How can I explain that… – then in a whisper you poured it out at once – Ayane. I cannot stop thinking about the wedding night. Actually, I am scared  of it !  You see, I never… I do not know what to do! But you were married once, you have some experience, so… what can you say to me about it?  You must have some advice, right?

At first, Ayane opened her mouth and blushed, but then she laughed. Maybe the fact that you trusted her to the point of asking about those matters was funny to her.

She started explaining while doing your make up.

\- Well, the first thing I can tell you is that no one has their first night the same way – the brush spreading the paint tickled your cheeks, but you stood still – And whether you love the other person and has known them for a long time or if it is an arranged marriage and you just met your betrothed a few days ago, it might be strange. It is sort of unpredictable, you understand? However, in the case of an arranged marriage like yours, things can get a bit… complicated.

\- Oh… really? – you started to worry – How so?

She shrugged.

\- Well, y/n-sama, you’ve met Madara-sama a few days ago, but I am sure that you’ve already noticed how… intense he is – it was clear that she was being cautious with her words – Since he is a man of authority, I recommend you to let him take the first step. He certainly expects this. This is how things work with men like him. Besides, even if he didn’t question you directly about this, he probably knows you are an inexperienced woman. Madara-sama is very observing.

You  remembered the kiss and nodded to confirm.

\-  Y es, he  asked me some questions when we talked.  He did ask if I have ever been touched. I didn’t know what to answer, but he seemed to understand it as a yes. It was a strange conversation, indeed.  It was like he was asking questions for which he already had answers.

Ayane nodded.

\-  He was probably analyzing your reactions when such matters are brought to a conversation with you.  I cannot tell exactly what he had in mind, but I believe that Madara-sama was planning to use what he would learn from you to  find out the best way to… behave with you when the time comes.  Now, about the... practical aspects, t he least he will expect from you is compliance, and that you do your best to reciprocate his  touches .

Y ou considered her explanation in silence.

\- It makes sense. But...

\-  What’ s the matter , y/n-sama?

\-  Well, y ou just told me what Madara-sama will probably do, but I am still worried about what  _I_ should do. If he touches me, how should I react? If he says something, what should I  reply ? What is  _my_ part in this?

Finally, Ayane seemed to understand what was bothering you. She put the brush aside, as well as her talking soaked in traditionalism.

\- Y/n-sama, what I can say is that our bodies have their own ways to show us the answers, and each answer can be discovered when the right body part is properly stimulated. You will probably react spontaneously to Madara-sama’s actions towards you. It certainly means that the whole thing will not be as sudden as you’re imagining. First, your body will be… prepared for this. And once it is prepared, it will know what to do.

Y ou were starting to understand what she was trying to explain. You remembered the first kiss Madara gave you and how unpredictable was your reaction, and yet you were there as if you knew what to do.

However, there was another thing you were worried about.

\-  And what if he does something I do not like or approve?  Or if he tells me to do something and I cannot do it, for I do not know how to do it?  What if he… hurts me?

Ayane  took your hands  in hers . Her tone was changed now.

\- Do not be silent. Just  speak . If Madara-sama listened to you that day when you defended us from my brother-in-law,  a man he knows well and does not have much sympathy for,  he will listen to you now.  Knowing our leader as I do, I can say he has some soft spot for you already.  So , if something is not feeling right or well to you, do not hesitate to speak –  she held your hands a little tighter – Whatever the case, y/n-sama,  me and my grandmother will be here to take care of you.

Y ou smiled and felt your eyes becoming full, but no tear rolled down to undo the unfinished makeup.  Ayane suddenly seemed to remember something; she grabbed a small bottle with unknown content from the small table and brought it to you.

\- Speaking of these things, it is time, y/n-sama. Please, take this –  she offered the content to you.

You took the bottle with a suspicious look.

\- What is it?

\- Well, it is something you have to take now, I mean, before the wedding night – and in a delicate whisper – You know, Madara-sama doesn’t want to have you expecting. At least for now.

  
  


***

  
  


The fabric of your kimono was soft, but the tight grip of its stripe around your waist was making hard for you to breathe, and even walk. Fortunately for you, Ayane was there to help you. You could feel your hair being pulled by the pins she put in it, and the main ornament never felt so heavy since you’ve left the room. You listened to your own steps thanks to the wood clogs you were wearing.

Everything was so silent, yet so tense it was like all the voices you’ve heard in your life were screaming at your ears.

You only realized you’ve reached the place where the ceremony was going to happen when Ayane released your arm and nodded, a gesture indicating that you would have to go on all by yourself.  It made sense: the bride was you and you alone; the choice of being there was also yours. Whatever the things that were waiting for you after that,  they would be nothing but the consequences of it.

Respecting the limits imposed by your clothing, you took a deep breath and took the first step toward your place, making your best to remember all the lessons Madara taught you and trying not to feel the eyes of the Uchiha, the Todoroki representatives and all the other people who were surely watching you.  Once they reached you, you were no longer y/n. You were not even Sachiko Todoroki now.

You were Sachiko Uchiha.


	11. The Memories Exchanged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ceremony was over, and you had your clothing changed and your makeup removed. You were led to your new bedroom for the wedding night.  
> Before the ceremony you thought it was the actions before the priest that would mark the irreversible change in your circumstances. Now that you were there at the porch, waiting for your new husband and having only a thin robe to protect your body, you knew you were deceived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will be different from the previous ones for obvious reasons, and it is the reason why I chose to classify this story as mature, though I do not produce explicit content. Here we have the wedding night and how it will change reader in a physical, emotional and mental sense from now on, and as you probably know, there are many things happening here beside sex. If you feel discomfort or any other negative feelings towards this chapter, no matter the reason, don’t feel forced to reach its end. Your comfort is more important than reading a fanfiction chapter ;)
> 
> THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS:
> 
> \- Implied dubious consent (???)  
> \- Emotional discomfort derived from it  
> \- Traumatic memories being relived and exchanged
> 
> READ MY NOTES AT THE END OF THIS CHAPTER FOR MORE INFO

You felt the goosebumps arising  all over your skin despite the robe surrounding your body. The breeze brought by the first hours of the night was cold, strong enough to move  the light lamps hanging from the house’s external walls, the ornaments on your hair and the fabric of your clothing. You grabbed its edges and tightened them around you, crossing your arms to keep them in place.

You were at the porch, at its entry at the one that was going to be your new room. It was not the same room where you met Madara for the first time, but you could tell it was near it; maybe they were contiguous. A few moments ago, he left you in that room and told you to wait there for him. At first, you sat on the futon and obeyed; however, after a few minutes, you decided to stand up and walk to the porch’s door. You went outside to breathe some fresh air and to see the night sky.

It was some kind of soul releasing, just standing there, looking at the stars in the spring night. You always loved it; it helped you many times, when you needed to organize your thoughts or when you sensed you were going to be crushed by your feelings.  That time, feeling the presence of the stars above your head never felt so necessary.

Y ou were trying to convince yourself that the most difficult part of your mission was over, and that you succeeded. You went to the ceremony, under the crowd’s eyes and turned yourself into Sachiko, the Todoroki’s heir.  Y ou played your role just as Madara taught you to. Each step, each look, gesture and word were precisely performed as you rehearsed.  You convinced everyone of your identity.  Y ou said the words before the priest.  Y ou married the Uchiha leader. You did it. At least this part of your burden was now took off your shoulders.

The next step was to make amends to your own past.

You thought about the events that led you there,  the places where you have been,  the people you’ve met, the dangerous situations from which you’ve managed to  escape , and  concluded that  it was  a miracle that you were still there to recapitulate  all those things.

The weight of the memories was such that you couldn’t carry it inside yourself, and your eyes started to burn with tears. You tried to hold them back, though you had your make up removed by Ayane when you came back from the ceremony and thus there was nothing to worry about: you weren’t sure of his reaction to your sobbing, but you didn’t want Madara to see you in such state.

You  didn’t exactly understand how, but you  felt  a presence right behind you and turned,  knowing it was him.  He had his back turned to the inner side of the room.  As usual, he had his wild hair untied; h e  was wearing pants and had a black robe around his body.  The light of the lamps inside the room touched the same surfaces as the ones outside, creating penumbras all around the wooden floor;  still, Madara’s shadow seemed darker, prominent among them, extending itself from his bare feet to the spot you were standing.  You didn’t move your feet, yet you thought that if you did, his shadow would keep them on place, and you would be unable to run.

You raised your eyes to his, glowing in the dark.

\- Madara-sama…

It was when the tears came back and you couldn’t contain them; your voice was gone. You closed your eyes tight and covered your face. Soon you felt his arms around you, and when you looked, he led you back to the room, the porch’s door making a whispering noise while he closed it behind him.

You opened your eyes and dared looking around the room for the second time since you were brought there. You were starting to accept that it was going to be your bedroom from now on.  Madara made you turn to him;  you saw no angry or impatience in his eyes. He held yo ur  chin, lift ing your face, and his thumb wiped your tears.

\- Y/n. If you want to thank me for saving your life, do not do it with tears.

You didn’t reply; you just waited. He turned to the wall at his right and handled a small mechanism you haven’t noticed there until that moment; the lights of the room diminished their intensity, and you felt like you were surrounded by the light of candles. He then moved away, walking toward a couch not so far from the futon. He untied his robe and took it off, laying it on its back, then came back to you.

He passed his hands around your head and held the pins holding your hair; he pulled them, and your hair fell around your shoulders. He held the pins on his mouth to keep his hands free. He then untied your robe and was going to undress you when your hands tightened around its fabric before you could control them.

M adara immediately stopped what he was doing and took the pins o f f his mouth.

\- What is it?

You opened your mouth, but no word came out. He didn’t alter his manners.

\- Go to the futon – he pointed it out right behind him and went to a small table beside the couch to place the pins upon it.

You sat on the mattress with your legs bent, still holding your robe, and waited. When Madara came back, he sat at the futon’s edge and stood there, just observing you, his elbow leaning on his thigh, the back of his hand under his chin, the overwhelming focus of his eyes all on you. It was like you were already undressed.

You heard his voice speaking to you in the same  way he  did at the first time he met you, when he told you to approach the chair for him to see you.

\-  Take it off. I want to see you.

His tone was far from rude or threatening, but neither it was sweet. It was painful to refuse to do as he said, but your hands didn’t want to let go of the robe’s fabric. You forced them to do so and moved the fabric away from your shoulders, hoping that your hair falling over your breasts would be enough to replace it. However you were betrayed in your gesture, for the robe was so smooth that it slipped down and revealed the entire upper side of your body. When you saw your clothing spreading on the mattress around you, your first instinct was to startle and cross your arms to cover your exposed skin. You started to feel like a failure. You bent your legs tighter to hide yourself, trying to avoid his eyes, but they seemed to be everywhere: it was the same sensation you had when you first met him, but increased to its limit.

T he first words said in a long time inside that room were his.

\-  Beautiful. And clearly untouched.  Indeed, there was no need to question you about this  at that night we met. Still, I wanted to hear the answer from your mouth… or at least see it through the fluster on your innocent traits.

Y our face burned at these words;  you looked at him and found a growing smile on his lips .  Was your  embarrassment  a diversion to him? Well, whatever the case, Madara ignored your reaction and  continued to speak.

\- Tell me. Why are you hiding from me? Is there something about yourself you do not want me to see?

You couldn’t contain yourself this time.

\- I… I am not hiding! – and, thinking you spoke too loud – No… There is nothing of this sort, Madara-sama… It’s just that… it is strange to me.

He  didn’t even try to stifle his laughter .

\- I cannot say I am surprised.

\- I do not understand – you continued – What would I have that’d be so important I’d have to hide it from you? What would I gain with this? – your voice trembled at your next words – I am no one.

The smile you saw on his face didn’t reach his eyes. With fluid manners, he left his previous position and leaned on his knees upon the mattress, approaching you in a second; he sat before you and with his right hand, he held your jawline. With little effort he maintained the eye contact between you, for you didn’t move a muscle at this sudden change in the circumstances. His left hand, on its turn, was placed on your thigh, the heat of its skin and the strength in its fingers sensed even through the robe’s fabric that was still covering you there.

Was he going to put you in a genjutsu? Or was he going to just give you a kiss? Who could tell? You would have to wait and see.

Madara’s hand trace d a path from your thigh to your waist, and somehow was able to  make you kneel and get closer to him.  His will was so impregnated in that touch that y ou didn’t think of moving away or cringing; you just followed  it.

\- Yes, you are someone.  You have a name. Two names. To the world, you are Sachiko Uchiha; to me, you are y/n Uchiha.  And even if you  think  are not, you will  change your mind soon… –  h e  gently pulled yo ur  jawline forward and  approached his lips to your ear –  As soon  I  m ake you ready.

H e took the opportunity to leave a kiss on your earlobe. Soon, he was facing you again, and w ith a calmness that would make an observer think he was doing it for the thousandth time,  his hand moved your hair away from your shoulders, leaving your breasts at sight;  y ou had no time to think of covering yourself or to refus ing the gesture: in one second, you were in your place; in the next, he  threw his arms around you  and plac ed  you on his lap,  the lower fabric of your robe spreading out to show your thighs .  It was strange to be held like this, with  little cloth ing  to protect you .  Your face burned,  b ut you didn’t say anything.  Instead, you found yourself thinking of what he just said: so he was now acknowledging you as an Uchiha, despite your true circumstances in life? Was he taking you more seriously than you thought he would do? Well, despite being there, about to be made his woman, you still couldn’t believe that. You have been on your own for so long that it was hard to accept you were  now  part of a family, and  not just any family, but  one of the most powerful clans at your time.

And then it was inevitable.  Your mind sent you back to your darkest memories, and you almost forgot everything else. You were back to the state in which Madara found you at the porch, and when he questioned you about it, you just cried.

Again, he held your chin and raised your face.

\- I told you not to thank me with tears, girl – he said,  wiping your tears – Look in my eyes.

You obeyed. However, you didn’t find the dark pupils as you were expecting: in their place there was the reddish pattern of the Sharingan waiting for you. So he was going to use a genjutsu to erase your memory? Maybe. Still, there seem to be something different this time. Was he using the same method that was applied on Ayane’s brother-in-law? What was that?

Why did his Sharingan look different from before?

\- So, you already noticed the difference? You are a clever girl – he smiled, guessing your thoughts – Let me tell you something about it. At this moment, you are looking at my Mangekyo Sharingan. It is more powerful than its normal form, and it was awaken at a high cost. Its story is a bit long, for which we do not have time for now. What you need to know is that you do not have to be afraid of it. I will not do to you what I did to that man, nor anything of that sort. With you, I will use it for something else...

He held your hands and made them pass around his neck, under the dark strands of his hair,  while his own went back to their place around your waist and held you closer. Not even for a second you looked away from his Mangekyo;  i t kept you captive.

And through it you experienced many things.

It was like you were seeing your thoughts mirrored by it, and your memories became a visible story for both of you. Yes, it was like Madara was seeing what you had in your mind, and you were speaking them out to him, but your lips weren’t moving.

Without a word, you told him everything: your childhood with your parents in your modest house; the war coming to the village  where you lived; the warriors  passing through it like a storm, devastating everything in their way; houses burning, and people screaming; the survivors leaving the region, seeking for a new place to rebuild their lives; your family and friends  who left and  who died, leaving you alone in the world.

Soon, your mind switched to your new house, with your adoptive mother, and her good manners and lessons; you were now a young woman, ready to live your life;  then came your problems and your hard work to take care of your  sick mother; your job as a governess; Hiroshi’s harassment; the night when you were forced to run,  trying to get free from his hands . You were now back to the  trees, alone, lost and with no hope; you were weak at the river’s shore; Izuna  approaching and talk ing  to you; you  being carried by him, to live among the Uchiha.

Something changed in your visions  at this point , and now you were seeing memories that didn’t belong to you. What was that?  Were they Madara’s memories? Was that the way the Mangekyo worked?

There was a forest’ s entry, and a river. A boy was sitting at the shore alone. By his dark hair and eyes, you could say he was an Uchiha; looking closer at his traits, you recognized Madara. He was quiet, thinking of something.

The scenario changed, and the river turned into a house’s entry, so similar to the house you were now that you considered the possibility of them being the same. There were kids at the entry, and you saw Madara approaching them, taking off his sandals and joining the group who cheered at his arrival.

This memory changed too, and now Madara was beside just one boy, younger than him; you saw his face and recognized Izuna. So the other children you saw before were his other siblings? If so, what happened to them?

The answer came soon, when you saw the river again, and Madara was standing at its shore, with a rock on his hand. At the other side of the river, someone approached. Another boy, but not from the same clan. Who was he? Apparently, a friend. He had a rock with him too. The boys exchanged the rocks and were about to run, but other people appeared: two men in armor, carrying swords; each of them had a boy by their side. One pair was from the Uchiha –  you recognized Izuna ; the other one you didn’t know.  A  fight  happened , and the boys close to the men almost died, but they were saved by Madara and the other boy.

This is what happened to the other children, then. The war took them away, just like it did to your friends in the past. But Madara still had Izuna; you had no one.

The scenario changed one more time, and you saw the Uchiha man from before. Was he Madara’s father? Possibly. He was not gentle;  he was violent, threatening towards  his boys. You saw Madara protecting Izuna. Then, you saw them hiding. Izuna was crying; Madara had his arms around him. Didn’t they have a mother to take care of them? If they did, you would probably see her. Maybe they lost her.

You knew what is like to loose a mother; you felt it twice. You knew what is like not having someone who would fight for you, not having a place where you’d feel safe enough to call it home. And for you knew that pain, you understood the boys’ feelings, and felt them in your guts. The fear, the shame, the anger, all at once. You felt your body shaking, and your throat was now sore. A tear rolled from your right eye.

And then the memories disappeared, and you noticed Madara’s eyes have turned back to their black shade. But from his right one a tear rolled too, at the same time as yours. It was when you knew: he was using the Mangekyo to reach your thoughts, your feelings, and opened the way to his own for you. Since you were unable to speak, he had to find another way to connect you two.

In different circumstances , it  w ould be a  treacherous method. But in this case, it was like a gift.  Madara already said that he has been sensing your solitude; now you realized he had his own too. And he made you  know each other’s, so that you were not alone anymore. You were now able to reach out to other, to understand each other, to belong to each other.  And it felt so good not having to carry everything by yourself.  Was that the beginning of love? It could be. The only thing you knew is that it was the beginning  of  something  only  for you two.

You stretched your hand and wiped the tear from his face; his skin was hot. He took your hand in his and kissed your palm, then wiped your tears as well; however he didn’t move his hand away: he passed his thumb upon your lips and parted them, kissing them right after. You didn’t move away or struggle as he tightened his arms around you. You just did your part in the deal, and let him do what he had to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short essay about this chapter and the next one:
> 
> I was hesitating to classify the content of this chapter (and the next as well) as dubious consent or something of this sort, because I was afraid that it would lead people to understand the dynamics between Madara and reader as something completely different from what I first intended. That’s why I didn’t include the “dubious consent” tag here. In practical terms, reader’s consent might be considered dubious, first because of the Mangekyo’s influence, second because of her mental/emotional state at the wedding night did not favor a proper consent and third because of the arrangement itself: reader only accepted Izuna’s offer because of her fear of dying, not because she was interested in meeting Madara and building a relationship with him; this was just part of the deal she accepted to keep living.  
> It is true that, later, after meeting her future husband for the first time and spending some time with him, reader started to see his qualities and even considered the possibility of becoming attracted or enamored as time passed, but it didn’t happen yet. She didn’t love him by the time of the wedding night; she didn’t know enough about Madara to classify her feelings towards him as love. She fears, admires and respects him, indeed, but this is different from love.  
> Writing this part of the story was something new to me, because this entire chapter and the next one are about sex, with all the shades and patterns that are involved in it. In my vision, sex doesn’t resume to what happens in bed; it starts right at the beginning, when Madara comes outside the porch to bring reader to the room, passing through the moment when he uses his Mangekyo Sharingan to connect with her most intimate feelings and thus understand her as whole individual and continues in the aftermath, when reader will be left alone with her thoughts while her husband sleeps.  
> These two chapters are the reason why I decided to classify this story as Mature, despite the lack of explicit content. Most of its density, the weight of events are just implied, like a door left half open but showing enough for the observer to understand what they are seeing. I understand that some of what is told here are not suitable for all audiences, and has potential to cause discomfort.  
> If you continue to read my work, I hope you keep enjoying this story and have a good time with it. But if you decide to quit, know that I respect your decision. You well being is more important :)


	12. "Mine"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After stablishing a necessary connection between you through his Mangekyo Sharingan, Madara led you through the path of discoveries that was the wedding night. It wasn't exactly what you planned for the rise of your womanhood, but it was what you had, and you needed to deal with it.
> 
> And it wasn't bad at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The same notes at the end of the last chapter apply here, so I won't discuss anything related to wedding night here guys. I just want to make a quick note about the Mangekyo Sharingan that I didn't find space to do before: not all the abilities of Madara's Mangekyo were known, which gives us room to suppose what he was capable of doing through it. I personally headcanon that he was able to exchange thoughts and memories with other people just by making them look into his eyes while Mangekyo was activated, just like Itachi was capable of putting people under Tsukuyomi with a single look. I think it fits Madara's personality, since his memories and his talent of sharing them as a base for his ideology have an important role in the development of his character. This capacity of connection was used with negative purposes in canon, but it's easy to imagine him using it in a positive way.

What Madara had to do, he did well.

He moved his lips away from yours and started using his hands on you, touching your face, your cheeks, you chin, your mouth; his hands were not entirely capable of restraining his strength, neither they had soft palms, but somehow you were getting used to the strange kind of gentleness implied in their touch. His fingers passed through your neck and your collarbone, then down to your breasts, and his thumbs started to stroke them, drawing circles with their tips. You held your breath at first, but didn’t refuse them. Those caresses, you noticed, calmed you down; you started to feel safe, wanting to see what was going to happen after that.

At some point, his hands were no longer enough, and he approached his lips again to leave kisses all over your exposed skin, from your neck to your clavicle, your shoulders, your arms, everything. When he thought it was time, he moved his mouth away and, holding you by your back and around your waist, helped you to lay down. You accepted it, still haunted by the slight sensation of being exposed, but not as scared as before. His fingers found the edges of your robe and this time they finally managed to take if off you. Right after that he started to use his hands on your belly, your thighs and the rest of your body, to make sure you would be ready. Compared to their previous delicacy, they were a bit tough and faster now; still, he knew what he was doing, so you waited, concentrating on the reactions produced by his touch.

Right when you sensed the heat rising to your face, you heard him say:

\- Close your eyes...

You obeyed. He then turned his stroking more intimate, and you let a moan escape; it sounded louder than you expected, and you couldn’t help looking at him with your eyes half opened with surprise and a bit of shame. No wonder this was your reaction, for that was the first time you were touched that way: you still didn’t know how to verbalize the sensation. Still, you found yourself wanting more. And with a smile of contentment, he gave you more, adjusting his touching to your body’s response.

At some moment, you felt your heart beating faster, and it was hard to control your body. You felt that it was going to explode. Right at that moment, he moved his hands away from you; still with your eyes half opened, you saw him undressing himself and lying over you.

He was going to take you now.

When he passed his arms around your body and united to you, it felt strange, even uncomfortable. Though you knew that this is what your body was desiring, for it has been prepared for it, it was like some sort of invasion; as he intensified the contact by pulling you by the waist, tightening you against him, you started to be afraid of getting hurt. You would prefer to have him only using his hands on you; at the same time, having his arms surrounding you, his scent on your nostrils, his heat blending with your own and the sound of his breath reaching your ears helped you to maintain the sensation of safety and attachment. You started to enjoy being one with him, which deepened your pleasure.

\- Madara-sama… – you said in a whisper.

\- Just say my name from now on, girl – he replied at your ear, not interrupting his caresses – Just call me Madara...

You didn’t say anything in response, so he insisted.

\- You do not have to be so quiet – and kissing your earlobe – Just say my name… I want to hear it from you… Say it, girl… Say it...

This time you obeyed. It was strange to say his name without the - _sama_ right after it, but the more you repeated it to yourself, the more natural it sounded to you, as if you never knew a word that felt so pleasing while slipping through your tongue. His presence, his soul, his body – everything about him was contagious, filling you with himself, replacing your parts with his own as you gravitated towards him; the closer you got, more familiar, comfortable and acceptable it seemed to be.

At some point, you noticed an intense response from your body, like a climax; your breath became heavier and your heart jumped inside your chest, and you had to tighten your arms and your legs around him to stay in place. Seconds later, your body started to calm down, and you noticed your skin were covered with sweat and goosebumps; in the next moment you felt relaxed.

He laughed and continued, as if your reaction motivated him to do so. His grip around you intensified, and his moves became faster. He approached his mouth to your neck, and his groans came to your ears. Between one and another you distinguished countless whispered words; but there was one that caught your attention above all.

 _Mine_.

At first you’ve heard it alone, but soon it started to come along with others that clarified its meaning, words that fell so deeply into you that you weren’t sure if you were hearing them through your ear or inside your mind.

 _You_ _a_ _re mine now._ _This body is mine._ _This mind, this heart. These thoughts and these feelings belong to me now._ _Your hands,_ _your caresses,_ _y_ _our_ _mouth and your_ _kisses are mine._ _You are mine._

_My girl, my wife, my woman._

_Mine._

Having passed through the ceremony and being taken by him now, you could say you belonged to him, of course. But would there be at least one part of you that would keep belonging to yourself? Was it part of the deal, to not be yours anymore?

Soon, the same intense thing that happened to your body seemed to happen to his. He tightened his grip around you, not letting you move; for an instant, you thought you were going to suffocate. But then with a sigh, he relaxed his embrace and finally released you. You sensed when he moved away from you, and the cold by the suddenly absence of his body’s heat made you shiver.

You started to feel sleepy and closed your eyes. You turned on your side and sensed as your breath was slowly going back to normal, your entire body finally having a moment to rest. The last thing you remembered before falling asleep was the sensation of being kissed on your temple and being covered with your robe right after.

  
  


***

  
  


You woke up and took a moment to remember where you were.

Of course, that was your new room, and you were lying on your new bed. Were you alone now? You weren’t sure. The room was quiet and warm, and the lights were kept as before, almost conquered by the shadows. You tried to move on the mattress and found out that you might have slept for more than you first thought, for you sensed an ache on your skin on the side you were leaning, as if you were sleeping in that position for a long time. Soon you figured out that this was not your only pain: all over your body, your muscles seemed to complain as you stretched them, and a slightly burning sensation was present between your thighs.

When you opened your eyes again and decided to sit on the mattress, you noticed some wetness on it, right underneath your spot. You sat and uncovered your body; when you looked down, you saw a reddish stain on the fabric under you. You bent your legs and pulled the robe again to cover yourself. Your embarrassment came from the fact that you knew it was blood. By what you already knew about the subject and your conversation with Ayane, you were aware that it could happen, but this didn’t bring any comfort to you.

You looked around and saw you were not alone, in fact: Madara was sitting at the couch, wearing his robe. He seemed to be there for a long time, watching you sleep, waiting for you to wake up, for once you turned your eyes to him he immediately stood up, then went to the table and grabbed one of your hair pins before finally coming to you. He bent beside you, and as if you suddenly remembered the blood, you turned to him and were about to say something, but he didn’t give you a chance to speak: he took your robe from you and put it over his shoulder, tied up your hair with the pin and then made you pass your arms around his neck, taking you on his lap.

\- Come with me.

He stood up with you and you passed your legs around his waist; right when you did it, you sensed your body aching inside and out and moaned. You laid your head on his shoulder and he kissed your hair to assure you. Apparently he didn’t care about having his robe stained by your blood or anything: he didn’t say a word about your state; instead, he just tightened the grip around you and took you to the bathroom.

On your way there, he passed by a chair and took a towel that was left at its back, then opened the bathroom’s door.

Once you were taken into there, you sensed the steam wetting your skin and affecting your vision like fog. You raised your head and looked around; the place was larger than you imagined. You saw that the bathtub was already full of warm water, indicating that it was recently filled.

He left the towel and the robe over a support at the corner near the bathtub and bent down for you to put your feet on the water. At first, you shivered when the hot liquid touched your skin, but soon you were used to it, the small waves produced by your immersion soothing the discomfort on your muscles.

Madara took off his robe and for a moment you thought he was going to enter the bathtub with you, but he just knelt beside it. Only when he stretched his hand and grabbed a lotion you started to think about the strangeness of the whole situation: so he was determined to run you a bath, clean your skin and everything else?

Before he touched you, you put a hand on his arm.

\- Wait, Madara – you almost said the - _sama_ , but your tongue stopped in time – Wait, please.

He stared at you as if he didn’t really understand why you were objecting to be bathed.

\- What is it, y/n?

Were you really going to need to give him an explanation? Apparently, yes.

\- Well, it is just that… I can do this myself.

Your justification seemed to be enough for you; a grown woman had to know how to take a bath by herself. However, it didn’t make a great difference to him.

\- It is not a problem for me – was his reply – I used to bathe my younger siblings when they were little.

You remembered the vision of the children around the young Madara, given to you by his Mangekyo Sharingan. You felt a lump in your throat. You felt touched by the realization that he might have missed having people under his protection since the only sibling left for him was the adult Izuna and a little disturbed with what sounded like a comparison between you and children. Did he think that just because you were a girl even younger than his brother you weren’t capable of taking care of yourself? It was better not to find out.

The only thing you were able to say as a response was that you were not a child. However, he didn’t reply: he just opened the lotion’s bottle and started to work. You thought it was better not to discuss.

He poured some drops of the fluid on his palm and blended it with the water, rubbing his hands together to create lather. He started with the back of your ears, massaging you with his fingertips, and the scent of the lotion invaded your nostrils. When hands passed to your neck, you were tickled and startled, but their warmness soon made you relax.

He extended the work of his hands to your shoulders, your arms and your hands; you took some time in silence, observing the differences between your hands and his, an appropriate summary of the differences between you two as a whole. Your hands were tiny, with no marks nor signs, used to strings, books and delicate work; his hands, touched by the sun, carried the battles and the desire of survival with them in their scars, their callosity and their diligence.

You sensed all of this by the deep impression they left while cleaning your back, then your legs and between them, purifying your body from the blood and relieving the discomfort of your initiation. You were impressed of how quickly you became used to his touch, not trying to move away or restraint his contact; at some point your cheeks got warm and you found yourself wanting him to caress you while you were in the water, but then you changed your mind and decided you just wanted to sleep; if he noticed your body’s reaction to his hand, he didn’t show. He just continued to work by pouring a second dose of the lotion on his hands and making more lather, this time using it to clean your feet. You giggled when he touched your soles, which took a growing smile from the corner of his mouth.

When everything was finished, he grabbed the towel and put it around his shoulder, then stood up and told you to do the same. You crossed your arms in front of your chest, both because you still weren’t entirely free from your modesty and because of the shivers sent through your skin while the water was dripping down your body. He wrapped the towel around your shoulders and helped you to leave the bathtub, then used it to dry your skin. You felt like the warmth of his hands blended with the softness of the towel’s fabric and soothed the remaining ache on your limbs and between your thighs.

Finally, Madara took off the pin from your hair, holding it on his mouth as he did before, replaced the towel for your robe and took you in his arms.

You were carried back to the room, but not directly to the futon. He left you on the couch, put the pin back to its place and went to an arc near to it, from which he took clean sheets to replace the ones you just used. When he finished the work, he turned to you and told you to lay down. Before you stood up, you thought of getting yourself a gown to not depend solely on the sheets to keep warm, but you were already tired and just wanted to sleep, so you just obeyed him. You approached the futon and sat on it while taking off the robe. He took it for you and threw it over his shoulder; you looked up to him and saw when he stretched his hand: his fingers slipped through your chin, then the back of his hand, softer than his palm, touched your face, and you rubbed your cheek against it in response, seeking for its warmness as a moth following a source of light; you then turned your lips to his hand and kissed it. You heard him giggling as he passed his thumb on your lips; he slowly moved his hand away and walked to the couch to leave your robe there.

You stretched your hand to find the sheet and finally laid down. You saw Madara walking away from the couch and a moment later the room’s lights were turned out, as you found yourself lying in the shadows.


	13. Willingness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At first, it seemed that the rest of that night would be long: you weren't used to have company during sleep, and you already knew about your husband's strong grip. Besides, your body started to feel the effects of being taken - pain, despite no more blood. This time, however, you were decide to not hide anything from him and start being what you were suppose to be, which meant letting Madara take care of you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is as short as the Interlude I've post long time ago, and tbh it works just as a final part of the chapter instead of a new one. The case is that I didn't want the previous one to be so long, so I separated this part from it and was planning to write more scene, but I changed my mind and decided to leave it this way.
> 
> The next chapter will take place some days after the wedding, and will carve the path for more intriguing pieces of reader's past and all the mystery that involves the Todoroki's true heir, Sachiko.

You turned on the futon and your eyes, still adjusting to the darkness, caught a glimpse of the moonlight filtered by the porch’s thin walls.  Thanks to it, y ou spotted Madara’s shape approaching and taking the  empty  space beside you.

At first,  because each of you did your part in your agreement,  you thought he was just going to lay down, forget about you and sleep, so you returned to your previous position, with your back turned on him, and closed your eyes.  And that’s why you startled when  you felt  his arms surround ing  you, followed by his  right  leg  entwining with yours , pulling you tight against him.  So, the connection between you two created by his dojutsu was not a momentary trick? It seemed to be the case.

For a moment, you were afraid that he was going to take you for the second time and considered asking him  not to: you were still sore,  and things could get worse if you repeated the experience in so little time. However, he didn’t make any advance towards it;  he  just  held you close and stood still,  as if he needed you to get some rest himself .

For a long time, you didn’t dare make a movement. You thought you wouldn’t be able to: your experience already told you how strong was his grip, but now that you were not suppose to leave the futon until tomorrow and thus had to stay under its influence for hours, you thought you were going to suffocate.

Soon you started to feel the discomfort of lying on one side for a long time and needed to change your position.  To your surprise, he gave you some space when you tried  to do it, as if he was aware of everything.

Maybe he was,  for he was not sleeping at all.

\-  You are restless –  though he spoke in a whisper,  his voice echoed in the silent space – Is there something wrong?

\- No – was your automatic response.

\- Are you sure? – he insisted;  you sensed his hand slipping from your waist to you r inner thigh  –  Does it hurt?  Is the pain disturbing your sleep?

I ndeed it was, so despite the warmth rising to your face, you chose to be honest about it.

\- Yes – you replied, your voice sounding strange to your own ears – Please… can you do something about it?

Madara moved his arms away from you and seemed to sit on the mattress.  He told you to turn to his side and you obeyed; as soon as you did it, you felt the palm of his right hand  under your belly button, groping through your skin as if he wanted to find the precise spot of your uterus. Once he found it, you sensed the warmth of his skin transferring itself to your body; when you looked down, you noticed a greenish phosphorescence e ma nating from his hand and your eyes widened in surprise: you already have heard about  the healing techniques created by  the  shinobi, but you’ve never had the chance to witness their use until then.

You heard him giggled: even in the dark, he seemed to understand your feelings.

\-  Let me say that I am not proficient in this style of ninjutsu – he said as an apology – But I believe it is going to be enough for your current circumstances.  Now, stand still, girl.  Close your eyes.  Try to relax your mind. Do not concentrate your thoughts on your discomfort.  Instead, think about the healing. Think about my hand. Imagine that you are already sleeping.

It was hard at the beginning, but you tried to do as he said. And after some minutes, you started to sense the effects of the technique. Your body was no longer under that strange sensation of tiredness, nor your muscles were tense anymore, which helped you to relax and take your focus away from the pain. Soon, you were feeling sleepy again, and the pain slowly diminished.

When he noticed these changes,  he decided it was the time to improve his method: his hand moved away from your belly and  he s tarted using both his hands to caress your inner thighs, which seemed to be sore too.  This time he didn’t take too long to cure your discomfort: the problem  on your thighs was not but fatigue; soon, they were healed. However, his hands didn’t finish their work yet: it was possible that he sensed your need for caresses, so he took time on it. You couldn’t see your own face in the dark and without a mirror, but you were sure that your cheeks were red as you felt divided between  the modesty you wanted to maintain as the quiet girl you were and the boldness of expressing your pleasure to the person responsible for it.

To you, it was still strange to see how easily he could interpret what was going through your mind and your body. With a single look or touch, he was able to identify your physical needs and the direction of your thoughts, and then act accordingly. Was he really that wise, or were you just too easy to read? You didn’t know.

You didn’t see any problem in letting him lead the course of events, despite the abrupt way you came into his life, his house and his bed, barely knowing him and now having your life on his hands. Was it an effect of the power in his eyes, this sudden willingness, this desire to trust him with everything you had? Or were you just tired of carrying everything all by yourself? Whatever the case, it was good to be touched, to be held by his hands, to be kept hidden and protected under that disguise, not having to worry about your past, your nightmares and your pain because now you were Madara Uchiha’s wife, among all women the last who had to care about such things.

Well, was it right to act like this? Was it wise? Were those questions still valid now that you’ve reached so far? You didn’t know, and it seemed that the more you thought about this, the more he intensified his stroking, to not having you focus on anything but what he was doing to you. He had you, and that was all.

Soon your body reached that sensation of climax for the second time, and all those thoughts disappeared as you entered a state of complete relaxation. Madara moved his hands away from you, and you felt the weight of his body over you right after; was he going to take you? You waited to find out, but he just approached his lips and left soft kisses on your mouth and your temple, just like he did before.

He returned to his spot on the mattress and passed his arms around you again. This time his strong grip didn’t bother you: instead, you felt some gratitude for having it there. You weren’t hurting,  nor crying or ashamed anymore; now there were only sleep, warm and shadows  to surround you besides him. The future or the ne x t day would come anyway, but for a moment they were no ne of your concern.

\- Madara… – you heard yourself whispering before you could stop.

\- Y/n? – he replied; you smiled to yourself at that: it was good that he kept calling you by your true name after everything.

\- Thank you.


	14. Madara and the God of Shinobi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was now the morning after the wedding night. You left the room and sat at the porch to have a moment of peace for the first time in a long time. You were now officially married, had a family and a house to live in. Everything seemed to be alright until Madara came to inform you that he was going to leave the compound for a some days and had no date for coming back. Based on what you've heard about the dangers faced by the shinobi during their missions, you felt naturally worried, but a new memory shown by your husband through his Mangekyo Sharingan would rethink your preoccupations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick question: if you're married to Madara, what's the first thing you got in the morning - breakfast or a vision of your husband in the battlefield? XD
> 
> Yep, this story is still going on and I was missing it so much, but I had other stuff ongoing so I've ended up putting it aside. Speaking of it, I noticed that reader seems to have a sixth sense to know when Madara is around even before seeing him. And I'm thinking of using it for something in the future...

Since you were brought to Madara’s house, you felt like you were under some sort of spell. You’ve been living through the days as if you were inside another person’s dream, following events, hearing conversations and seeing scenarios that could only be experienced through their eyes. Even when you were the center of such events and all eyes were turned to you, you just couldn’t feel them like the real things they were. Being introduced to other members of the clan – elders, women and servants – under your new name only reinforced this impression.

This and the fact that you’ve spent those days without your husband’s company.

The next day after the ceremony came silent in your room. When you opened your eyes and sat on the futon, your first action was to seek for Madara; you did it without even realizing it. He wasn’t there; somehow, the silence of his absence was way different from when he was just quiet, out of your immediate sight. You were left alone and felt a bit anxious for this.

The room had everything you needed to take care of yourself, and this is what you did after leaving the bed. When you were ready, you found a new robe and went to the porch, still tying its straps around your body.

You sat on the wood platform with your feet dangling right above the grass, the warm light of the morning touching your face and everything your sight could reach. Twirling around the place there were rosy petals that just have fallen from the cherry trees, so natural while carried by the breeze that you could think they were living beings; some of them were carried away, and a few ones came to rest upon the grass, close to your feet.

Yes. You have been through so much that you completely forgot that Spring was on its apex. Still, you were glad that you could take some time to appreciate it now. That was the first time you did it the way you should in a long time, without fear, uncertainty or anxiety clouding your thoughts: now you had a family and a house by the side of a man who was able to guide and protect you and two women who acted like true friends, taking care of your needs when you weren’t able to do it for yourself.

After all the things your had to endure, you were finally in peace.

You were thinking of this when you sensed your had company. You glanced at your right and saw him there, standing in the shadow of the closest porch’s columns. He wasn’t using a robe anymore: instead, he had the full traditional clothing of his clan, with its long sleeves and its high collar; however, he was on barefeet. You noticed you were starting to get used to his sudden appearances, even welcoming them.

You stood up from the porch. At first, you thought of greeting him with _good morning_ or something, but you stopped your tongue at the last moment. Somehow you sensed the moment asked for silence.

Madara came and took the place by your side. He held your chin, then approached his lips of your temple and left a kiss there. It was a strange treatment he gave you, that one: you felt it like it was a way to mark you as his property. The gesture didn’t lack gentleness, however: there you had a man who used to take good care of what belonged to him.

He was the first to speak.

\- Your look visibly better – and still with his had under your chin, he made you turn from one side to another in order to examine your traits, as a way to confirm what he said – The effects of a good night of sleep cannot be denied when we look at you right now.

When he released you, you felt safe to speak.

\- Indeed, I feel better today, Madara – again, you almost said the - _sama_ , but stopped in time – I hope you slept well too.

At first, he smiled at your preoccupation with his well being, but soon that smile fade into a contemplative expression. You didn’t have to wait too long to find out the reason behind it.

\- I’ve been waiting for you to wake up, Y/n – he started – It is good to see that you are used to leave the bed in the first hours of the day, even when you do not have to.

\- I am actually used to wake up earlier – you replied with modesty.

Your cheeks burned to what he said after that.

\- After the last night, I would not blame you for staying in bed for a longer time – he smirked – Anyway, there is a reason for my waiting. I need to inform you about some events you must expect to attend today. The first one is the Todoroki’s farewell by midday, which you naturally will have to watch by my side, so that I will sent the women to prepare you when the time comes.

You nodded, and he offered his arm to you: he intended to take you for a walk in the garden, which you accepted without thinking twice. The morning was too beautiful for you to stand under the porch’s protection for much longer. That time you took the traditional path and reached the garden within minutes. You appreciated the walking: though you wouldn’t complain if Madara took you in his arms and reached the place in seconds, you always enjoyed using your own feet as a normal person, so that you were content to see that he respected this.

In fact, knowing that the Todoroki were going to leave soon brought some relief to your mood: you wouldn’t need to maintain Sachiko’s role for much longer once they’re gone. Only when you had to communicate with other members of the Uchiha, who weren’t aware of the whole story.

What he said next, however, had the opposite effect.

\- Now, I am afraid that what I am going to tell you might bring some apprehension to you, and I apologize for that. Y/n, in a few days I am going on a mission with my brother, and I am still not sure of how long I will be away.

Madara was right. Hearing that he was leaving in some days made your heart beat faster with anxiety. Despite not knowing him long enough to say you loved him, you cared for him, as your husband and your protector: you’ve heard about the challenges and dangerous situations in which the shinobi used to be involved during their work.

You tried to contain your preoccupation, but you weren’t sure you succeeded, judging by his reply:

\- I know it will not cease the worries you are already feeling, but let me tell you that there is no logical reason for them. Some of our men will be sent to travel alongside the Todoroki, and these ones will only leave in my presence. However, our best shinobi will stay to guard the compound, and some of them will follow me and Izuna in our mission – a smile grew on the corner of his mouth when he noticed you were still worried – As you can easily imagine, I would have to be too reckless, or too stupid, to leave you and the rest of my people unprotected after sealing a treaty with the Todoroki.

You did your best to calm yourself, but you needed to be honest about the situation. You stopped; looking down at his hands and releasing your arm from his, you took them into yours, too small to contain them in their entirety.

\- Despite the little time we have spent together, I already trust you and Izuna-sama and the other people. But I cannot help being worried when I hear you say you will be far away, where I cannot reach you. If only there was a way to assure you will be alright… I would not bother you with these silly feelings.

When you said that, you looked into his eyes seeking for another assurance. But the glimmer you saw in them in response made you shiver though the morning was as warm as the Spring would allow it to be.

Madara held your hands in his with the same firmness you sensed when he did it for the first time, in that night you met. Just like that time, you felt fascinated yet overwhelmed by the sensation that he chose this particularly gentle gesture to push his power and unpredictability into you.

His words came only to confirm this impression.

\- Maybe my mere words are no longer enough to make you understand it – and with a smile that left a deeper impression than the look in his eyes – I think it is time to _show_ you what the name Madara Uchiha means to the ones who hear it.

With this, the black of his eyes faded, giving space to the reddish pattern of his Mangekyo Sharingan. Was he going to immerse you in another memory? You were still questioning yourself about it when the sight around you changed, and the morning light and the warm weather disappeared.

You saw yourself surrounded by a suffocating, hot atmosphere that seemed to melt at the constant explosions of light and fire you saw and heard around you. It was like being at the edge of a volcano.

When you felt able to look ahead, you spotted high rocks eroding with earthquakes that didn’t last longer than seconds. Upon them, facing each other and separated only by a few meters there were two human forms, dark against the fires.

Two men.

You felt your eyes looking closer at the scene and recognized one of them – Madara. And he was the one who produced all the fire you saw, doing this through his chakra. However, it was the way he was doing it that stunned you: he had his hand close to his mouth with his fingers pointing above in the traditional chakra releasing position used by the shinobi while at combat, and from his lips came out gigantic streams of fire the devoured everything ahead and around. So, that was what your husband was capable of?

You immediately turned to the opposite side, where the other man was standing, to see what remained from him. Because, of course, nothing could survive such attack. It was when you held your breath: the man was alive.

And not only he was alive, but he was also defending himself: with his palms united and clenched against each other, he used his chakra to make colossal branches grow around him. Yes, he was producing pure wood with his power. You soon understood that they were the cause of the earthquakes: the strength with which they opened their way through the hostile ground moved the stones from their place, changing the land’s geography.

It was like the branches surrounded by fire were about to finish the world and leave nothing to tell the story.

You observed that man with more attention and felt like you knew him, but in a peculiar way; it was like you have met him in a dream, or during a moment when you were seeing with someone else’s eyes.

Whether you knew him or not, his presence and appearance impacted you almost as much as Madara’s: his red armor shone at the fire’s light, and around his shoulders’ protectors his long, dark hair floated with the hot winds coming toward him. Just like your husband, that man had a dark toned skin, as if he was touched by the sun the same amount of times as him, only visible through his face and hands; in his traits there was something distinct, _softer_ despite the seriousness of the battle and the fact that he was surrounded by fire, something that made him look even younger than Madara. On that face, however, you saw a courage, a rage that was equal to his.

A sudden change in the atmosphere around you made you shiver. The air became warm, almost as pleasing as before you were dragged to that place, and now you were watching the battle without suffocating with the heat. This change was operated at the same time you felt a pair of known hands held your shoulders from behind. Not wanting to take your eyes off the events before you, you glanced over your left shoulder and whispered:

\- Who... is that man? How can he stay alive with everything falling apart around him?

Somehow you sensed when Madara smiled; he seemed content with your surprise and interest. Right after came his reply.

\- Look closer. Look at his forehead.

For the first time you noticed that the man was wearing a white protector around his head, covering his forehead. On its front you saw an emblem that answered all your questions as soon as you recognized it: you were a teacher once; you had to spent time surrounded by books and scrolls that told you the history of the land where you lived, and many times your eyes met the symbols of its most prominent clans. That symbol belonged to one of them – the Senju.

So that was…

Madara seemed to read your thoughts even before you verbalized them.

\- I think you figured it out by now – you heard him laugh to himself – That man is the head of the Senju clan. His name is Hashirama. You’ve probably heard about him. About the cognomen that was given to him.

Your reply was automatic, as if it wasn’t coming from your mouth.

\- The God of Shinobi.

\- Yes. It’s good to see that you know part of the story – Madara complimented in a cheerful tone, ignoring what was taking place before you – This sensation you have, that you’ve seen him before, is easy to explain. You’ve seen him in my memories yesterday. Hashirama was the boy you saw at the river with me.

You turned to him to hear more, leaving the battle behind. Its sounds diminished as Madara spoke; what he had to say now was more important than that vision.

\- Hashirama and I were friends at some point of our lives. This friendship did not last long, and perhaps it was for the best. Today, we are what you would call rivals. What you just saw is nothing compared to what he is capable of doing. And the same can be said about me, I must point out.

You sensed your eyes widening. What you just saw was enough for you to understand why people called him a god. Madara laughed at your reaction.

\- Don’t you see, girl? – his fingers caressed your cheek as he spoke – This is one of the countless memories I have regarding our meetings. In this one in particular, we were not dancing with everything we got. We were just rehearsing.

\- Dancing...? – you immediately remembered of your training and felt ridiculous.

\- Hashirama is the only person who is able to dance in a way that entertains me. Things use to get a bit tedious when you are surrounded by people who aren’t able to follow your rhythm, so that someone like him is quite necessary. It brings balance to everything.

While those words were said, you felt a slow, subtle change in the environment around you two. The lights and shadows created by the fires and the wood were fading into something constant, calm as a morning sun, and the with it came a breeze that you welcomed with your heart after the intense atmosphere you experienced moments before as it brought delicate rosy petals to fly around you like silent birds.

You look around, at them, and saw that you were back to the garden. The vision was over, and the change in the scenario served as proof. Madara had his arms around you now, and you were grateful for that, for you weren’t sure if your feet wouldn’t fail you after your return to reality. When you raised to eyes to him, his eyes were dark again, and they were turned to you. Only then you felt the impact provoked by what you witnessed.

Just like the Senju warrior, Madara Uchiha carried enough power to transform the maps of the known world inside him. Yet he called the spectacle he just showed you a rehearsal, and your surprise and admiration was a source of diversion to him.

And to think that you were now the wife of such man, destined to sleep by his side for the rest of your life, and that his hands were around you, keeping you close as you trembled before a vision…

You laid your head on his shoulder and he tightened the embrace. You stood there in silence, sensing him breathing in and out; soon your own breath adjusted its rhythm to his. After everything you saw, it was clear that any preoccupation about his integrity was silly, not to say worthless. But you were the one who asked for an assurance, and Madara gave it to you.

You were going to be careful about what you ask from him from now on.


	15. Ninjutsu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally you managed to see the Todoroki leaving the compound. You made some observations about Koji, their leader and the father of the girl you were replacing, and started to understand why your husband told you to not take those people lightly. After their departure, you turn to him and say you have something to ask.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo here we have a clearer idea of what kind of people the Todoroki are, and that's on purpose. I sense I've failed for not introducing them or their head before, but the case is that their main role is yet to be performed, so the most appropriate time to show them directly is now. Also Izuna's back and he's salty than never lol I really want him and reader to get closer to each other as young brothers and I have some ideas about how to make it happen, but this is something for another chapter :)

The moment of the Todoroki’s farewell finally came.

You didn’t know if it was because you were becoming used to your role as Sachiko Uchiha or if it was the thought of seeing the Todoroki leaving, but you felt that playing your part during their farewell was easier than during the wedding.

Your feet didn’t fail you when you walked toward them by Madara’s side, nor your hand trembled when you offered it to Koji Todoroki, their head and Sachiko’s father, who accepted your gesture with visible contentment, wrinkles forming around his brown eyes alongside the composed smile he gave you and your husband: it was clear how much satisfied he was to see things going according to his plans. It was almost risible when you remembered that this man were genuinely convinced that you were his beloved daughter and that you were the key to the Uchiha’s favor. You felt tempted to glance at Madara, to see his expression as he looked at the man, but you contained yourself: everything was almost over now; you couldn’t take the risk of messing up with everything.

Only when Koji released your hand and stepped back to his previous spot alongside the elders of his clan (all of them his uncles, as Madara told you), to a position where you could analyze his figure in precious details, you started to understand your feelings about him.

That man, not so far from his sixties, would never seem so impressive if you saw him in common clothing and all alone; nothing about him – his average height, his grayish hair tied down with a red stripe falling over his back and his simple wood sandals, not so different from the ones worn by the other Todoroki – was worthy of catching one’s particular attention. He was not distinguishable like Madara: his resemblance with the other members of his clans, not all of them as important as the elders, was such that he could be taken as any other person but their leader. His expression while observing everything around him corroborated with that impression: a discreet but perceptible smile, followed by a muffle sound in his throat that reminded you of a giggle and a nod of his head had some soothing effect over his appearance. If it wasn’t for your current situation, you would have sympathized with him.

Yet there was one thing in him that could tell you that he was not a simple man, and it was his eyes. Brown, small and perspicacious eyes, as the ones of a collector of rarities or a seller, always measuring the value of everything, seeking for benefits and good opportunities. The first time you looked into them during the wedding, all the illusion about his simple nature was gone and could not be brought back, and the same happened to you during the farewell. You finally were able to understand what Madara was talking about when he stated that this man’s clan were not to be taken lightly: if that was your impression of their head, you didn’t want to imagine what you should expect from the elders, more experienced – and unscrupulous – than him. You felt lucky that you didn’t have to speak directly at them during the lunch, moments before.

Now, you were glad that you would not get to see them in a long time.

When all the formalities were exchanged, Madara gave the sign and some of the Uchiha men near your post passed to the other clan’s side. They were the men chosen to guard the Todoroki entourage on their way home. Izuna, who was at his brother’s side and remained quiet until that moment, gave them some instructions and wished them good luck on their mission. They nodded, and finally the whole group turned and started to walk toward the road, guided by the Uchiha guards.

When the they disappeared at the distance, a general sensation of safety seemed to spread among the people who came to the farewell. Some of them started to walk back to the compound’s interiors, to their own activities; the remaining ones formed smaller groups between themselves and you heard whispers coming and going through your ears, but you were too focused on your own state to understand what they were saying.

When you were no longer capable of distinguish the presence of the group at the road, you took a breath of relief, but you didn’t realize it until you heard a muffled laugh near you. You looked at your right and found Izuna staring at you, the same strange expression you used to identify in his dark eyes, something between hilarity and seriousness that always unsettled you, so that you didn’t know if he liked or despised you.

And to think that he was nothing like this just a moment ago, when speaking to his pairs who were to guard the Todoroki during their travel. You could say anything you wanted about Izuna, but you should recognize his talent as an actor.

\- Among all of us, our Sachiko girl is the one who best played her part, but it seems that this wore her out – he commented, crossing his arms – I understand. Fathers can be scary when they want to. And _that one_ in particular – he glanced at the road’s direction – He gives me the creeps.

Your eyes widened a bit when you heard those words. You immediately looked at Madara, eager to find out his reaction and act according to it: after the things he showed to you through his dojutsu, it was the appropriate thing to do. But he didn’t do more than stare at his brother in silence and ignore him right after.

Izuna didn’t seem intimidated by this, nor his smile faded; was it possible that he had a different perception of those events than Madara? You didn’t have much time to think about it, because soon he got back to his serious manners and changed the subject as if nothing happened.

\- Anija, I’m going to take care of _that_ work. The sooner we get ready, the better.

\- Go, but be careful to do it exactly as I told you.

You sensed no trace of exasperation in your husband’s tone when he replied. Maybe he was used to Izuna’s way of expressing himself.

The younger Uchiha nodded and left without any more words for you or his brother. You observed while he walked away, his tied, black hair covering the center of the clan’s crest on the back of his clothing.

\- Y/n.

You startled a bit when you heard Madara calling you by your true name in the presence of other people, but then remembered that most of the presents knew about it. You turned to him.

\- Is there something wrong?

\- No, absolutely – he smiled – But you seem a little worried.

You couldn’t help trying to explain yourself.

\- It’s nothing serious. It’s just that I…

Still smiling, he nodded, as if you just confirmed his theory.

\- You aren’t sure about my brother’s feelings towards you – before you could reply, you felt his fingers brushing your hair behind your ear – Do not worry. Despite his manners, which are more likely to mess with one’s perception when they are not familiar to him, Izuna likes you. I haven’t had an opportunity to tell it to you but now, but it is true.

You blushed, but didn’t reply. Hearing this from Madara’s mouth was somehow comforting: since you first met Izuna, you felt like the young man had nothing for you except despise.

\- Right after he brought you, he came to speak to me about you – he continued – Not only he described your resemblance with the other girl, but he also explained the conditions in which he found you, pointing out that you must have had an exceptional physical resistance for someone who is not a shinobi to not succumb during the travel to our compound. When I heard what he said, I immediately became interested. It was too good to be true, or so I believed until I have put my eyes on you.

You suddenly remembered your first night at that room you were left to rest, the darkness that surrounded you and that corner where you saw the pair of red eyes. The next morning you tried to talk to Izuna about it, but he didn’t want to hear you. Now, the last thing you’d expect was to hear Madara himself bring the case to light, but there you were, hearing him explain how he entered your room and stood there, analyzing you with his Sharingan.

\- I must tell you that I was impressed to see Izuna’s hypothesis confirmed – he smiled as if he just read your thoughts – You were weak and injured, and your body was exhausted, that is true, but you would survive and recover, and then would be ready to play your part. Later, not only you were capable of running into a physical conflict and stay on your feet, but you also did well during our training. I mentioned this in one of the messages I sent to my brother while he was away, and he made his good opinion on you very clear in his reply.

You looked ahead, at the same direction Izuna took when he left, and a changed occurred in your opinion of him as well. The anxiety you used to feel every time you were in his presence or thought about him was now slowly disappearing. Since he brought you there, Izuna had a way to make you feel like you’d never be a part of his family, of his clan, but knowing his true thoughts on you soothed your worries. Maybe one day you would see him as your brother too.

Madara’s words about your resilience also reminded you of something you’ve been considering since he told you he was going to leave the compound in a few days.

You turned to him looking for the right words, but it seemed that he was already expecting for that.

\- You want to ask me something, y/n? – and caressing your cheek – You do not need to think much about it, then. Just speak.

\- Well, first I wanted to know how much time you will… how much time we have together before you leave.

He thought of it for a moment.

\- One week. Not much more than this. Why do you ask?

\- I’ve been thinking of it since you mentioned your travel – you took his hand on yours; somehow the gesture helped you to find your words – It’s not that I find any flaws in your measures to keep us safe while you’re away, but… I want to take my own measures to take care of myself, and I thought that you could help me in this.

Madara’s smile widened when he heard that, so pleased he was with it.

\- I see. You want me to train you during this period, but you are not sure if one week is enough for you to learn something useful in case you have to defend yourself or the people around you.

You nodded, but there was more, and your face burned when you explained it to him.

\- To speak the truth, I want to know if in one week I would be able to learn… ninjutsu – you you gave his hands a soft squeeze, feeling the obligation of justifying yourself for asking something that he could see as absurd – It does not need to be something complicated, it could be just enough for me to protect myself and avoid a physical confrontation, which would be more dangerous.

Madara didn’t reply immediately. Instead, he analyzed your words for a moment, then took his hands off yours and passed his arm around your waist.

\- There are still many people here, though you could think there are not – he whispered – Let me take you to a calmer place where we can talk properly.

In fact, there were less people around now and you wouldn’t mind talking in their presence, but he seemed worried about that. You chose to think that he, who knew those people for longer than you, was more prepared to decide what was best to say in front of them or not, so you just let him lead you to wherever he wanted to take you.

  
  


***

  
  


You didn’t go back to the house nor to any strange place. In a moment, with the same technique he preformed to take you to your room after that morning when you were training your body memory, Madara reached the garden with you. You started to think that this place in particular was surrounded by some sort of protection he created with his shinobi abilities, for he implied that you were safe once you were there with him.

You considered questioning him about it, but somehow you thought that this was a subject for another day.

When you look into his eyes after the arrival, you saw a distinct gleam in them, followed by a smile you understood he was containing until that moment. Was he satisfied with your request, or was he mocking you?

He answered your question as if he heard you formulating it.

\- So… You want to learn how to dance, y/n? I was waiting for the moment you were going to ask me something like this – you felt his fingers giving a subtle squeeze on your waist, your skin warming up under his touch even with your clothes being there to separate them – However, you surprised me with your interest in ninjutsu. That surpassed my expectations.

You were still a little nervous, though.

\- And is it a bad thing? – you’ve put your hands over his shoulders – I wasn’t lying when I told you I just want to protect mys…

His giggle interrupted you.

\- I know. And I approve your request. However...

The giggle slowly turned into silence. Then he spoke, low and serious as you still haven’t seen him.

\- I want to hear your reasons for it. They will determine my answer.

You frowned.

\- But I already told you…

Madara raised his finger and placed it over your lips.

\- I know that there are more behind this, y/n, and you cannot hide it from me. Or why do you think I brought you to this isolated place to have this conversation?

You held your breath. After all you’ve seen from Madara Uchiha since you’ve met him, you should have expected something like this: nothing was ever simple with him.

You sensed his approaching, but did not try to pull away. He continued to speak in whispers in your ear.

\- You understand that I could simply use my Mangekyo Sharingan to search through your mind and find the answer. But I do not want to act like this. I want to have a normal conversation with you, girl. I want to hear the story from you.


	16. "Your Story"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You were able to do your request to your husband. But the price he imposed to you - asking him the right way - was both high and low.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing to see here boys, just a fluffy heated training session lol
> 
> I thought it was about time for this: reader needs something to hold on to that truly belonged to herself instead of just seeking for comfort outside (which is good too, let's not forget). For her own good and for practical reasons, it is important that the clan head's wife learns how to manage things, specially when he's about to leave.
> 
> The next chapters will focus on things she will learn with Madara, and how they will help them improve their relationship. Oh, and she will get her chances to use the carbon and sheets he gave her, so artistic vibes will be included in the pack too :)

It wasn’t like you didn’t know that one day you’d have to tell your story to someone. Deep inside you always knew; but you never expected to see this moment coming so soon. You tried to convince yourself that it wasn’t important, that Madara didn’t care, so that you could leave it all behind. But he cared, and now he wanted to hear it from you.

You stepped back, passed your arms around yourself and started to speak.

\- Since I can remember, I have this feeling that I am trapped into a series of events that need to happen for some reason unknown to me, as I pass through them more like a spectator than a direct participant, with no authority to interfere or alter them. For years, I have lived my life as if I had no control over what comes and goes, who stays or leaves, and every time I’ve tried to stand against it, a new surprise comes to prevent me from doing something or thinking too much about it, forcing me to focus all my power in surviving.

Your eyes would go from one side to another while you searched for the right words.

\- When I was a child, war between clans I did not know came to our door. I lost my home, my parents and many of my friends thanks to conflicts in which we had no part. I have seen people I loved dying or being forced to move to distant lands and couldn’t do anything about it. I myself had to move, knowing I would never see those people again, never know if they managed to build a good life after all that happened, if they would be alright. I always wondered if they had the same sensation I had, that they were trapped into a destiny from which could not escape.

Your arms fell around your body, and anger started to build up inside you as you clenched your fists.

\- After some time, I almost gave up. I thought I could live by just accepting the things that were put in my way and doing nothing about it. I thought I would be good with it, but it never happened. My anger and my pain only grew. And after I lost my adoptive mother to sickness and debts, after my former employer tried to lay his repugnant hands on me, after an entire night I have spent running from him through a grove, tired, hungry and scared until Izuna-sama found me… After all of this, I understood that I had two choices: to learn how to take care of myself or to die.

You raised your eyes, now burning with the tears that just started to fill them, and looked into his, as if it was your last chance to prove yourself to him. You approached him again and took his hand in yours.

\- When you showed me those memories of you and the Senju head, the first thing I felt was fear. I couldn’t believe such power would live inside a human being. It was just too much… – you looked down at his hand and squeezed it to contain the tremble in yours – However, the more I looked at it, the more I was… enchanted. It was when I knew that if I wanted to stand up and fight for myself and had to look up to someone to guide me, it should be you, Madara.

You didn’t think much of what you did then. You just did it: you led his hand to the curve of your waist and approached him, your hands resting on his shoulders.

\- Please… Teach me how to dance.

You felt his hand squeezing around your waist, while the other made caress on your cheek.

\- Since you asked the right way, I am unable to say no. Y/n… Let’s dance.

You never saw his next move. When you understood what was going on, the first thing you felt was his warm breath close to your neck: he was just behind you, his hands slipping to hold yours and unit them in front of your body, at your chest’s height, his fingers helping yours to keep the position of the shinobi sign.

\- You must have read so many books that I suppose you understand what this gesture means – he whispered – As the blood that runs through our veins and the air that enters and leaves our lungs, the energy created from the unison of the physical and the spiritual powers within us, which we call one’s chakra, flows through our body as an inherent part of it. The quantity of chakra may vary from people to people, but this is not that important: the difference between a regular shinobi and an experienced one is the ability to control the flow and do everything they want with it.

\- But you certainly have an impressive amount of chakra – you argued – Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to do those things you showed to me through your memory.

He laughed.

\- That was so perspicacious of you, girl. But we are not talking about me here. We are talking about you, and you are just taking your first step, which is to connect to your own flow – his hands held yours in place, helping them to keep the position – Now, close your eyes. This will help in your concentration.

You obeyed, and many things happened. With the flow of information that entered you through eyes interrupted, your remaining senses worked to fill the gap left by it, and you started to sense everything around you: the breeze on your skin and between your hair; the light of the sun; the birds singing; your own breath, blending with Madara’s, who was still close; the warmth of his hands heating yours, his arms surrounding you, tightening the space that separated you two; his nose smelling your hair, almost touching your ear...

You opened your eyes again.

\- You are distracting me.

The response you got was a brief kiss on your earlobe.

\- Shame on me – he smiled – But a shinobi must know how to overcome distractions, don’t you think? Well, if this is the case, I should help you as a way to make amends.

Before you could ask what he was going to do, you sensed something in your hands, like a different type of heat that passed from his palms to your skin, entering it and reaching your muscles, your bones, your veins and then even deeper, to places you didn’t know you had inside you. This heat started to spread in all directions, waking up and connecting with a similar heat that somehow you knew belonged to you.

\- I just transferred a small portion of my own chakra to you – Madara explained – This will help you to find your pathway system by waking up your chakra spots. By now you must be sensing an increasing heat running through what seems to be your veins. Close your eyes again and mentalize this flow.

You did it. This time, the external distractions were nothing compared to what you felt inside you. It was exactly how he told you: something moving, running through you. A flow.

\- Now, try to find the directions of the flow – he instructed.

This was harder than just sensing. There was just too much to look after: there was chakra in each part of you, running from one spot to another before you could even think of stopping it. All this movement was starting to make you tired.

\- This is what happens when one cannot control their own chakra – Madara pointed out, as if he just read your thoughts – Do not try to control everything at once. Try it with a specific spot. Choose an easy one, like the ones in your hands.

He gave a subtle squeeze on your hands to assert what he said. You concentrated in your hands, in the paths took by your chakra in them, the spots through which the flow changed its directions in your palms, your fingers, your fingertips, and focused your effort in manipulating it. Calm it down, you repeated to yourself. Try to stop it.

To your surprise, as time passed the flow diminished, little by little, until it stopped. You opened your eyes and sighed in relief: the sensation of tiredness started to disappear, alongside with the heat all over your body.

You felt a kiss on your hair, on the right side of your head.

\- You succeeded, girl. You managed to understand in your body what I explained through words. This is the first challenge of an apprentice. From now on, things might be easy for you.

You raised an eyebrow.

\- Easy?

He approached his mouth to your ear.

\- I said they _might be._

You smiled.

\- You are scaring me.

\- I am your master now, girl – and with his lips touching your ear as he spoke – I am here to scare you.


End file.
